I’ve realised I dissociate when I started speaking to my counsellor about 4 years ago. Right now, it’s been a lot better. From stress and anxiety….all that jazz.
At times if I’m thinking hard or when I’m not paying attention, I ‘slip’ into it. According to people, I look rather ‘empty’ (it’s obvious in my eyes). It tends to worry/annoy people so I get embarrassed .
I was wondering if it’s actually because I’m dissociating or I’m daydreaming.
I used to daydream quite a bit as a kid since I had a bad attention span and gave up trying to catch up to what others were saying. It’s different to say ‘doomscrolling’ since I know I’m not supposed to do anything and relaxing.
I figured it’s maybe the environment I’m in or just the taxing nature of my job as I actually do end up that way when I can’t handle too much (emotionally/mentally/physically). At times, it’s like a shell of myself that’s just functioning. I know what I’m doing but I may not catch every single detail, just the things I need to do.
Then, I’ll wake up during my break or on my way home. It helps me focus on the task at hand but sometimes I’m worried about it too.
Just wanted to hear any opinions or if anyone here gets them.
Hey @user2746. Thanks for sharing this so openly and ask others if they’ve felt the same. It shows how much you care about understanding yourself better. I can relate to what you’re saying about “slipping out” and then suddenly realizing you’ve been on autopilot. For me, it sometimes happens when I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know if it’s exactly the same, but I just wanted to say, I hear you, and you’re not alone in experiencing it.
Being “there but not fully there” can sometimes be the mind’s way of protecting or giving itself space when things feel too overwhelming. Daydreaming, dissociation, zoning out can overlap, but they also serve different purposes. What matters most is how it affects you like sometimes it helps you cope, other times it worries you. Both reactions are valid.
Something that can help is grounding yourself when you notice it happening, like taking a slow deep breath or lightly moving your body like stretching, walking, holding onto something textured. These small actions can bring you back gently without judgment. Journaling about when it tends to happen might also help you notice patterns, like certain stress levels or environments that trigger it. You don’t have to force it, but little practices like that might help you feel less “empty-eyed” when it happens.
You’re already showing so much awareness of yourself, and that’s a huge strength.
Wishing you gentleness as you keep finding what works for you. You deserve to feel steady and at ease
Hi @user2746 thanks for sharing your question! I think one big difference about daydreaming and dissociation is how you feel coming in and out of it.
Daydreaming is more related to attention. Our attention is affected by stress and emotions, so maybe daydreaming can happen more often when we are stressed out. But daydreaming itself isn’t a reaction or coping mechanism. It’s more of an attention slip.
With dissociation, it’s a reaction by our brains to emotions and stress. Our brains turn off and go into auto-pilot or even shuts down as a way to protect us from everything going on. Because of this, with dissociation, there may be some negative feelings before or after, and there may be a trigger.
And sometimes – it could even be a mix of both! A daydream could slip into a dissociation episode for example.
It might be hard to discern, so perhaps I’m wondering if it’s important to you to find out what it is exactly you’re experiencing and put a label on it? An alternative is to think about how the episode feels for you. Does it feel bad? What might be some of the triggers, if any? And if it happened since it was young, does the ones happening now feel similar or different? That might help make sense of what you’re experiencing now
If you feel like these episodes have been weighing on you, help is available. You don’t have to be deeply affected by something before getting support <3 Most of all, there are ways to cope with this and it doesn’t always have to be this way. Sending lots of love and support!
When I’m overwhelmingly tired or overstimulated to the point that I can’t focus, that’s when it kicks in. It’s not always a bad trip since I’m focused and I don’t feel anything.
At its worst, I become very apathetic. I don’t really respond and become quiet, it takes me up to a few days to wake up (which is normally when I’m off the clock).
Naming it is more of out of curiosity
I had it for so long it doesn’t bother me too much. I have a limit, and if I go over I need to avoid social interactions for maybe 2 days?
Reading your post, it felt like you’ve already noticed both the relief and the worry in those moments: relief that it helps you get through tasks, worry when others see the “empty” look in your eyes.
What you describe could sit on a spectrum. Daydreaming often carries a story or imagination. Dissociation, on the other hand, can feel more like blankness, time slips, less detail absorbed, like you said. Neither is “wrong,” and both can show up more when stress or fatigue piles up.
You’ve already linked it to taxing environments and job pressure. That’s an important clue. Our minds sometimes “step out” when things feel too much emotionally, mentally, or physically.
When you come back on your break or commute, does it feel more like waking from a nap, or more like snapping back from being on autopilot? That difference might help you sense which side of the spectrum you’re on.
For now, maybe it’s less about pinning the perfect label, and more about what you need when it happens. Whether that’s a grounding pause, or just reassurance it’s your body giving you a breather. And if it ever feels harder to return, or starts affecting safety (like while crossing roads or driving), that’s when it’s worth looping back with a professional.
It makes sense you’re holding both curiosity and worry. How are you feeling?
At its worst, I normally slip into it at work. Considering it’s one of my triggers, it got a lot more obvious when I first started working. I normally use the bathroom to take a breath and wake up. I talk to my counsellor before and I did learn some ways to wake up from both. It’s just sometimes as you said, I can’t wake up from it easily. Sometimes people have to shake me or block my view to get my attention (though it’s better now).
When I’m in Autopilot, I can still do my work without my heart in the way. I suppose both modes mix since I do use music to calm down.
Though, I do realise certain music does trigger my daydreaming and some help me wake up.
I do feel that urge to hide away in either modes. I’m so stressed that I end up doing it naturally. Luckily, my brain is conscious enough to stop myself getting into danger.
Hey, when you said you slip into it at work and sometimes need the bathroom to “wake up”… It shows how hard you’re trying to manage in a stressful place. I notice how you’ve learnt tools with your counsellor, mapped how music affects you, and still keep yourself safe. That’s clearly your strength in coping, even when it feels messy. It’s okay that both relief and worry sit together here, you’re adapting.
