[Tim Couch 1999]

My brother came to town last week and it was a pretty fun time. He doesn't come around very often, so it's always nice to see him. While he was here, I was distracted most of the time, so I wasn't focussed on my DP/DR as much. The DP/DR was still there, but it was in a much more manageable form. Interestingly, the DR was much more prevalent than the DP, probably because I wasn't focussed on myself as much. Anyway, since he came and went, I've noticed a drastic improvement in my situation. I still have chronic DP/DR, but it is not as debilitating as it was before. The DP/DR isn't causing as much anxiety as it did before. There have even been moments where I felt like I got a whiff of what normalcy feels like. To me, this confirms my theory that my current bout of debilitating, chronic DP/DR is the result of a depletion of "feel-good chemicals."

Has anyone else noticed improvement when they see someone they haven't seen in a long time, or when someone new comes into their life? I feel like regular human interaction and healthy relationships are a significant piece of the puzzle.

 

[coolwhip27]

Very relatable, my interactions rarely feel successful. To a person who feels a void in that area, it can be very important. Though I find that caring more about human interactions (external validation) than your own to yourself (internal) is not good.. trust me, I’d know

 

[nonamenomad]

My sisters moved far away about 2-3 years ago and as selfish or bad as it sounds I definitely think not having them as a constant face or person in my life anymore made some of my symptoms in life worse. When I get to see them I think I definitely feel improvement. I agree like you said, I think it’s because I’m severely distracted the whole time, not thinking of myself at all really except in split moments. I wonder if we’d still have that effect or feelings if they were back to being a constant in our lives? Our minds so weird huh? Happy to see you have any sort of relief friend.
A xx

 

[Chip1021]

Certain comforting social interactions can make my experience temporarily better. Keyword: comforting. That doesn’t happen all that frequently though.

 

[Tim Couch 1999]

I wonder how much of a role this plays in anxiety/depression issues. We are social creatures as they say, and not experiencing comforting social interactions on a regular basis could probably have devastating effects. My anxiety issues started back in 2010, which was around the same time my friend group started to shrink, and the friendships I still had weren't as comforting and rewarding as they used to be. If I'm being honest with myself, I've pretty much been a loner ever since then. I still have friends, some of which I value a lot, but the relationships just aren't as rewarding as the relationships I had during my childhood.

If seeing my brother for just 2 1/2 days had this much of a positive effect on me, I can only imagine what having a true best friend would do.

 

[Chip1021]

The way I see it, at least from my experience, a couple of things happen simultaneously when I’m engaged in a comforting social interaction.

first, the existential ruminations / self-conversations / hyperintellectualizing goes away while I’m focused on the interaction. And second, the fact that I’m conversing as well brings my attention into the world. You can’t be “listening” to your inner speaker while you are engaging with your external speaker because they are in fact one and the same.

 

[Michael21]

YES I feel the same exact way