When the world is not real, or it feels like everyone is against you

The state where everything is behind glass, or where you seem to be watching yourself from outside, has a name: dissociation. It is common in borderline personality disorder and nearly always comes with heavy stress.

The same goes for temporary suspicion: the sudden sense that people have agreed something about you, that they are laughing, that you are being followed. That is not “character” either — it is written into the definition of the disorder itself.

Both pass on their own and neither means a different illness has started. Both pass on their own and neither means a different illness has started. What makes them frightening is that, from the inside, it is very hard to believe. Which is why it is worth reading this in advance, rather than once it has begun. Which is why it is worth reading this in advance, rather than once it has begun.

There are separate lists in the techniques section for both — things you can do with your hands right now.