Does anyone else suffer with hypervigilance?

[Finally]

So although i have suffered with hypervigilance for a long time, until recently I had no idea there was a name for it. Does anyone else have it and have you had any success being less aware of your surroundings?

I really want to beat this and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rosewood]

Hi Finally,
I am sorry to hear this is happening to you... but if you can se what scenarios are making you go into a state of hypervigilance.

for instance, i have complex PTSD, right? for me that means, i will start getting extremely hypervigilant- ie increased heart rate, increased hyper awareness, all surrounding children, because i was so traumatized as a child myself. so if a child- any child go missing in a retail store or mall, i will freak out big time. i have been known to run around a store yelling the kids name (i dont know them) pushing people out of the way trying to find them. this is because i know how fast fast those (insert extreme expletives) child rapists move. it always amazes ne that the parent never seems that upset. i always have to remember that they probably did not have my experience growing up, and therefore dont understand the danger.

well, i just described my issue (!)...if you can figure out when you have these episodes then you can start to narrow done how to deal with the vigilance
and ultimately deal with it and find a coping mechanism.

 

[laure15]

I suffer from hypervigilance too, but it usually kicks in when I'm in an environment filled with numerous people. I feel the need to look around to confirm that there are no threats around me. Sometimes I end up staring at people who feel threatening.

One thing that sort of helps me is to stop looking around the place. For example, if I'm at a store, I only make eye contact with the cashier or anyone who interacts with me. I don't make eye contact with anybody else. The downside to this is I become less aware of my surroundings. One time, I got into the store and went straight to customer support for a product pickup. I only looked to the right and didn't look anywhere else. I waited in line for about 10 minutes only to be told to go to the other side of the store for pickup. If I had looked to the left of the store, I would have seen the pickup area and went there instead. 10 minutes wasted.

 

[ImNotMyIllness]

I also feel too aware of my surrounding but this usually happens when I'm talking to someone. Sometimes when I'm talking to someone (like at a restaurant) I can become too distracted by the people around me.

 

[DeLasDudasInfinitas]

I suffer from hypervigilance too, but it usually kicks in when I'm in an environment filled with numerous people. I feel the need to look around to confirm that there are no threats around me.

That happens to me too so I started to take my MP3 player everywhere because if I'm listening to music I'm less aware of my surroundings and more relaxed. But I can't go everywhere listening to music so when I'm in that kind of situation I try to distract myself, for example singing a song or reciting a poem in my head. If I can, sometimes I try to imagine some place that can make me feel relaxed like a twilight on a beach or the snow.
Right now I can't stop completely the hypervigilance but with time I've noticed that I'm less aware and more relaxed than before. I hope that in the future it'll get better.

 

[jc972]

I guess I do the whole hypervigilence thing myself, albeit on a different level than most in that the only time I am not armed is when I am at work. I have been that way for years, almost (possibly) to the point of paranoia. If I wasn't married with children I'd have the house booby trapped with land mines or whatever and have attack dogs running looseopcorn:. I worry about my children being kidnapped to the point that I've actually read up on VIP/bodyguard protection techniques and practice them religiously. I don't know if the above constitutes hypervigilence or not though.

 

[hoddesdon]

Hypervigilance is an integral part of SA.

At a CBT course we were told not to pay attention to the environment. It is important to practice attention-focussing. It is not possible to do both. Doing that allows you to focus on what you are supposed to be doing.

Yes, ameliorating hypervigilance will help.

 

[R3K]

hypervigilance... hmm, i'd always just thought of it as hypersensitivity, but of the physical senses and not emotional.

I enjoy it, actually. I don't even care, I just pretend i'm in a movie and fking ninjas are coming from all directions and I imagine how i'd Van Damme them to death with flailing roundhouse kicks.

 

[laure15]

^It's not all fun and games. Sometimes when people call out to me or simply touch my arm, I flinch big time and it just scares people. I end up looking even more weird.

 

[R3K]

^It's not all fun and games. Sometimes when people call out to me or simply touch my arm, I flinch big time and it just scares people. I end up looking even more weird.

ya I guess I don't have it as bad as you guys... I played tons of sports when I was younger so it actually benefited me, I could see passing lanes quicker than the defense (while playing soccer and basketball.) when i'm walking through crowds of ppl at the mall, for example I just pretend i'm flying a spaceship through an asteroid field. also I wear shades and headphones everywhere. I recommend doing this if your hypervigilance is super bothersome.