To worry about why I feel constantly dazed and like I'm in a dream?

[Shya]

I frequently feel like I'm dazed and in a dream, I'm aware of what's happening but there's like a fog over it all. It feels like when your eyes unfocus and you can feel that they are unfocussed but it's more comfortable to stare off into the distance so you just stay that way for a little while.

I can snap myself out of it but I just worry/wonder why it seems my default state is to have my eyes kind of glazed over and be a few steps back from the world. I have quite a poor memory of little details like the name of a new film I watched or the name of a certain celebrity as it feels like I'm not really engaged with all the little details enough to remember them.

My work is requires a lot of focus and thought so I know I'm capable of being switched on and I don't doubt my memory/cognitive abilities in that regard.

I noticed it as being a problem when outside my work there is a busy road and I deliberately slow my walking down or speed up so I can cross it with someone else next to me, relying more on their judgement than my own for when it's safe to cross. Writing that down sounds really bad... I am capable of crossing a road but it's like I'm in a comfy fog I don't want to get out of so I take the easy/lazy way.

It's not a new problem, I just think with lockdown and being more at home I didn't really notice it much. I was always the school girl in the back of the classroom daydreaming out the window.

Could peri-menopause be a factor? Brain fog is very, very common.

@Aquamarine1029

Could peri-menopause be a factor? Brain fog is very, very common.

I'm only in my mid 20s so I hope not

Derealisation?

I get this, too. Following with interest. It's like being on drugs

Could be a number of things...
Depression or peri-menopause come to mind. A blood test to check for any deficiencies would not hurt.

Any chance you could be dissociating? Do you have a history which includes trauma?

Are you anaemic for any reason?
Get a blood test for B12, folate, ferritin, fbc and thyroid.
Make sure you have a CO2 monitor.

It sounds a bit like depersonalisation or dearealisation. Both are very unpleasant though. Is what you’re experiencing unpleasant?

I have something similar when I’m not getting enough sleep

See your GP. Tell them your symptoms, and ask for a blood test. Mumsnet can not diagnose you.

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This exactly describes hyperparaythroidism for me. Poor memory and like a foggy window between me and the world. Cognitive ability is still completely there but it's like accessing the internet via a computer on a dial-up modem. You can switch on but you have to make it so, a slight delay, but you can. That shows up as high calcium and very low vitamin d in normal bloodwork.

However anaemia can do the same, but you may not be able to switch on with it. Low thyroid - hypothyroidism could do but I have had that for 2 decades and never gave me that distant feeling from where I was. ~Just suggestions for you, get a bloodwork done, not a medical mail.

I also agree it could be stress related.

I used to get this a lot, still do sometimes. Agree with the PP who advsd blood tests. For me it seems to be more frequent when my iron stores have depleted. I have regular iron infusions now and they have made a significant difference for me.

I got this a lot due to anxiety

I feel like that when my iron levels are low. Couldn’t work out why I couldn’t focus earlier this year then got some blood tests and it turns out I’m anaemic.

@GiveYourHeadAWobble

It sounds a bit like depersonalisation or dearealisation. Both are very unpleasant though. Is what you’re experiencing unpleasant?

Whether someone finds it particularly unpleasant or frightening depends on the individual

back of the classroom daydreaming out the window.

That with the inattention sounds a bit like ADHD. It manifests more commonly as daydreaming in girls.
Of course it could be that and something else as well, like derealisation or a deficiency or something at the same time.

I do this ,am being assessed for autism currently

I had this when depressed.. went on fir a while because I wasn’t ‘sad’ so never picked up it would be depression. The brain fog, memory issues were awful. When it peaked I could only describe that I was living my life with my head stuck in a bubble, that’s how it felt, really weird.

It does sound like depersonalisation/dissociation. I get it sometimes when I haven't slept. Knowing what it is and that it's not harmful (if a bit weird) and having the sense that it will go away sooner or later (even if it also comes back) helps, I think. You could speak to someone about it but I think one thing to remember is to not feel like there's anything 'wrong' with you.

For me it's called "being autistic" . Diagnosed at 36.

Almost certainly have adh d too.

I felt like this whilst pregnant, thought it was just normal pregnant stuff...turns out I was anaemic and once that was sorted it lifted...speak to your GP for some blood tests!

Never heard of this before. But my STBXH seems to have this. He was often accused of being in his own Little World and unfocused. Interesting .

Epilepsy/an absence seizure?

Could be a number of things. But have a listen to this, see if that sounds like you.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0011ry0