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Insanity Circle
Some of you might have experienced sleep paralysis at least at some point in your life. Those of you who have not, it might be possible for you to imagine a state of complete immobility while being fully aware of it.
Sleep paralysis was believed to be a supernatural occurrence and is often pictorially depicted as a vile creature sitting on top of a person, choking them. The experience of which is no different. You can't breathe, you can't shout, you can't move a limb, your eyeballs roll but your vision is either blurred or crossed and to top all these you may even see or hear things that aren't actually there. Hallucinations you call it. The few minutes of torture can seem like an eternity. But there's something worse than that. The momentary paralysis you get when you are wide wake.
Just like sleep paralysis that comes out of the blue, certain uninvited thoughts or even memories can rush into your mind without any warning. The thoughts that knock the wind out of your lungs, the ones that drain every ounce of energy left in you. The ones that make you unable to move or even speak. The ones that make you stare at a distance nonchalantly. To top that, some may even hear voices that are their own thoughts or visualise their worst nightmares in their heads. Nightmares huh? What do you call them when you get them at day? We call that overthinking.
While we have explanations and reasons for sleep paralysis, this sudden rush of thoughts, memories and emotions are hardly addressed. For some of us who are fighting a battle with our own thoughts, this feeling can be, hands down, the worst we can ever get. We sabotage relationships, we spend our days worrying, we may even keep our distance when surrounded by laughter, love and joy. We are that cursed lot who can never enjoy happiness to the fullest. All because we are not alone; wherever we go, we carry our thoughts with us. The all powerful thoughts that sometimes decide to surface and mess up our entire day.
To walk away from a troubled person is easy; but what happens when the person you want to walk away from, is yourself? The constant need and pursual of escapism becomes the prime motive of our lives. No, not everyone gets this and no, not everyone can understand the gravity of it. So, next time you come face to face with the demon at night or when you curiously read about it, think of those few unlucky souls who have to survive this on a daily basis...day and night.
.
.
@fernweh
#sleep #overthinking #MentalIllness
© Chintha
Sleep paralysis was believed to be a supernatural occurrence and is often pictorially depicted as a vile creature sitting on top of a person, choking them. The experience of which is no different. You can't breathe, you can't shout, you can't move a limb, your eyeballs roll but your vision is either blurred or crossed and to top all these you may even see or hear things that aren't actually there. Hallucinations you call it. The few minutes of torture can seem like an eternity. But there's something worse than that. The momentary paralysis you get when you are wide wake.
Just like sleep paralysis that comes out of the blue, certain uninvited thoughts or even memories can rush into your mind without any warning. The thoughts that knock the wind out of your lungs, the ones that drain every ounce of energy left in you. The ones that make you unable to move or even speak. The ones that make you stare at a distance nonchalantly. To top that, some may even hear voices that are their own thoughts or visualise their worst nightmares in their heads. Nightmares huh? What do you call them when you get them at day? We call that overthinking.
While we have explanations and reasons for sleep paralysis, this sudden rush of thoughts, memories and emotions are hardly addressed. For some of us who are fighting a battle with our own thoughts, this feeling can be, hands down, the worst we can ever get. We sabotage relationships, we spend our days worrying, we may even keep our distance when surrounded by laughter, love and joy. We are that cursed lot who can never enjoy happiness to the fullest. All because we are not alone; wherever we go, we carry our thoughts with us. The all powerful thoughts that sometimes decide to surface and mess up our entire day.
To walk away from a troubled person is easy; but what happens when the person you want to walk away from, is yourself? The constant need and pursual of escapism becomes the prime motive of our lives. No, not everyone gets this and no, not everyone can understand the gravity of it. So, next time you come face to face with the demon at night or when you curiously read about it, think of those few unlucky souls who have to survive this on a daily basis...day and night.
.
.
@fernweh
#sleep #overthinking #MentalIllness
© Chintha
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