Hyper awareness

[laureah21]

Recently I lost my dog suddenly to cancer and two weeks later my second dog has been diagnosed and undergoing chemo. My husband is not coping as has no work either at the moment. He has a little bit of ocd and depression normally so these have flared up and im trying to help him and make decisions and grieve all at once.

I’ve gone into a weird numb action mode and today something really strange happened. That was the opposite of numb.

Id like to know if anyone has had this after trauma. I know my trauma is nothing compared to many people but I feel the symptoms are linked to everything happening.

i was in the supermarket and it was as if everything was turned up to maximum. Maximum detail, sound and colour. I could see every single piece of wording on the food packaging all the pictures in the labels, all coming in at once all the colours rushing in.
I felt like I was going to pass out, so had to cover my eyes by looking down at the white floor and walk this way to the till and get out quick.

such a strange sensation. Bit scared of it happening again in busy places

[mmMekitty]

Hello Laureah21 & welcome to the forum.

Firstly, I am so sorry you have lost one dog to cancer, & now another is diagnosed too. I'm sure the loss of your dog so recently is still raw & painful, & to have another dog diagnosed must be so frightful & upsetting - I can barely imagine, & I have lost my cat to some undiagnosed heart problem some years ago, too. There are times I feel the loss very strongly.

About the 'hyperawareness' as you have described, I couldn't say what the cause is. I could only say, if it is bothering you & you fear it happening again, then please, speak to your GP.

From my own experience, I have felt myself to be more sensitive to noises, more so when I am feeling stressed & anxious. I also tend to feel my senses are overwhelmed when I am more than a little anxious to panicky. I don't think I am actually taking in any more detail than usuual. If anything, I am comprehending less in these moments, & therefore, feel overwhelmed.

I don't suppose that helps much.

My best wishes,

mmMekitty

[laureah21]

Thankyou for your reply. Love your kitty in the profile pic to!

Our pets are such comfort.

i understand what you mean about noise and also taking less in. Ive had disassociation before in periods of stress and normally it’s the opposite like everything around me is unreal and a bit fuzzy, but this was High definition information overload.

perhaps it was just a one off thing linked with supermarket and everything on display. I was really curious if it had a name and when I google the only thing that comes up really is ptsd and autism (which I don’t have)

[therising]

Hi laureah21

I suppose you could look at things from a slightly different perspective, even it it's out of sheer curiosity. Rather outside the square way of thinking but you could ask 'Why did I suddenly develop the ability to hear and see so clearly to the point where it suddenly overwhelmed me?'. Was there something in the lead up to this occasion? Were there any subtle changes in life? With all the different energy systems in the body (endocrine system, nervous system, vascular system etc), could it have involved some type of 'energy surge' simply from out of the blue? Was there any subtle feeling that preceded it? Did something suddenly come to mind in the lead up to this occasion? Could there have been a bit of an innocent blood pressure or electrical shift in the brain perhaps, such as seen with harmless silent migranes? Used to experience these myself before they eventually stopped occurring. Should add, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing as the side effects left me experiencing being a more sensitive gal, being more visually and audibly observant amongst other things.

Your experience has definitely left you with a lot to wonder about. Pays to wonder inside the square and outside of it 🙂

[Mum Chris]

Hi laureah21,

I have had similar sensations where things were heightened and even faces and sounds were enlarged and I felt like my body was the wrong size or not moving properly within it’s environment. It used to happen a lot when I was a child and in to young adulthood. If it’s disassociation or the precursor to a panic attack I don’t know but when it happened to me I saw it as curious and I examined the feeling. I have at times left my trolley and left the supermarket. Lol. It mostly happened when I was alone but when it happened in close quarters it really was too much.
It’s really hard when you are emotionally and financially under stress.
I have on many occasions during my life sort out therapy and I am in therapy now. If you are like me you neglect yourself and focus on loved ones. As they say you are no help if you are not well so I’m focusing on loving me. I take lots of me time now and it’s really hard to do. I focus on what I’m thinking and feeling and what will improve me. I’m switching off my constant rumbling in my brain how is my husband what does he need what’s happening with family how can I fix it. I’m trying to help me by washing my face putting on face creams and making myself healthy food and relaxation techniques like listening to meditation music for a few minutes and relaxing my muscles and breathing. Make a room look pretty and making myself a cuppa and really enjoying it. I used to make a cuppa and not drink it till it was stone cold or try and skull it.

All the best

MC