{"id":157954,"date":"2025-11-28T19:45:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/157954\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T19:45:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:45:11","slug":"why-so-many-people-are-dissociating-to-protect-their-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/157954\/","title":{"rendered":"Why So Many People Are Dissociating To Protect Their Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m dissociating\u201d is a phrase that\u2019s everywhere right now, from the mouths of influencers on social media<\/a> to friends sharing their weekend plans after a stressful week at work. People use the phrase to describe the act of taking an intentional brain break from a stressor, whether that\u2019s work, a family issue or the news. <\/p>\n

While it\u2019s used casually to describe a very real reaction to an exhausting world, it\u2019s also a protective mechanism that generations of people have used, way before the advent of social media and the 24-hour news cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cDissociation is … a way of protecting oneself that most organisms can do when they\u2019re in a state of acute threat,\u201d said Kayla Ritchie<\/a>, a licensed mental health counselor at Self Space in Washington state.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s done by engaging a part of the nervous system that allows you to freeze. It\u2019s more or less akin to the freeze response that you hear about in the fight, flight or freeze responses to threat,\u201d Ritchie added.<\/p>\n

While folks on social media and in day-to-day life often use the phrase \u201cI\u2019m dissociating\u201d as a throw-your-hands-up-in-the-air-and-give-up type of behavior, it\u2019s not actually a bad thing to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a protective measure that evolves to make it so that the impact of something threatening, bad, scary, dangerous, isn\u2019t going to overwhelm [you],\u201d Ritchie explained.<\/p>\n

\"ThisThis common behavior is actually a natural coping mechanism.<\/p>\n

In other words, dissociation protects you from the alternative, which is having no barrier or buffer zone against the \u201cthreatening, bad, scary, dangerous\u201d thing, said Richie. If you don\u2019t dissociate, constantly thinking about a work stressor or problem in your life is only going to drain you mentally and, potentially, keep you from doing the things you need to do.<\/p>\n

Dissociation exists on a spectrum, though, so while it can be a protective mechanism, it can also be problematic at the more severe end.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody dissociates. That is a common psychological function to check out, and so dissociating \u2026 this is our daydreaming, our spacing out,\u201d said Jamila Holcomb<\/a>, a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner of Holcomb Counseling and Consulting. This is the mild end of the spectrum, added Holcomb.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our mind\u2019s own way to kind of help us get through either kind of a mundane moment or an unbearable moment,\u201d Holcomb added. It could happen on a long drive or amid stressful news that\u2019s affecting your community.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the dissociation spectrum, though, folks may feel detached from experiences or in a foggy state of mind, said Holcomb. The extreme end of the spectrum is something known as \u201cdissociative disorder,\u201d which can be marked by depersonalization and feeling like you\u2019re detached from reality, she said. <\/p>\n

This requires medical intervention from a counselor or mental health provider.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s necessarily where everybody\u2019s at right now,\u201d Holcomb noted. Instead, folks looking to dissociate from the state of the world are likely on the mild end of the spectrum and are occasionally distracting themselves from stressors by zoning out in front of the television or scrolling social media.<\/p>\n

Therapists told HuffPost it\u2019s perfectly normal and natural to want to dissociate for many reasons. Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n

The world is a stressful place right now, and dissociation is necessary for our protection.<\/p>\n

The current climate \u2014 politically, financially and socially \u2014 is overwhelming and stressful. These issues exist on top of everyday stressors like the demands of family and friends and day-to-day tasks. <\/p>\n

This would all equal \u201cnervous system overload, and so our bodies are going to numb,\u201d said Holcomb. \u201cWe\u2019re so on edge that as a survival strategy, you dissociate,\u201d Holcomb added.<\/p>\n

While the more extreme side of dissociation can be a clinical problem, the mild side is only a natural response to the world. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to do a better job of just acknowledging that it\u2019s a really hard time for a lot of people,\u201d said Sandra Yankah Addo<\/a>, a psychologist at The Black Girl Doctor.<\/p>\n

Between economic uncertainty, layoffs and everyday stressors such as micro-aggressions for marginalized groups, \u201cthose are all things that chip away at someone\u2019s bandwidth, at their capacity to feel and experience their range of emotions,\u201d added Yankah Addo.<\/p>\n

Dissociation allows folks not to feel their emotions and to lean into distraction instead.<\/p>\n

In this world, it may be hard for folks to express emotions in a meaningful way, which can lead to even more feelings of disconnection and detachment, Yankah Addo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think also there are more threats,\u201d Ritchie said. \u201cWe are in a very threat-dense environment right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

No matter where you look, there are news alerts about plummeting vaccine rates<\/a> and coverage of threats and wars overseas. Just the way we interact with the internet and social media feels threatening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think especially with the way that people consume social media, [our threat-dense environment] is very much exacerbated because of the nature of how algorithms work and seem to play on people\u2019s fears a lot,\u201d Ritchie added.<\/p>\n

Meaning not only are there actually more threats in our world, but the way folks interact with the threats on social media exacerbates them and makes people even more afraid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a natural response for their nervous system to sort of disconnect \u2014 and, yeah, people tend to choose to distract in ways that facilitate more dissociation,\u201d Ritchie noted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s OK to distract yourself from the state of the world, but you should do so with parameters.<\/p>\n

Once again, distraction from stressful situations is necessary and a way to preserve yourself, but if it starts feeling more like the extreme side of things (such as a disconnection from reality), you should seek professional help. <\/p>\n

But, on the mild side of things, there are still helpful and not-so-helpful ways to dissociate or distract.<\/p>\n

\u201cDistraction is not wrong. It just can\u2019t be the only thing you\u2019re doing, because eventually it stops working and it sort of disconnects you from other parts of your life that are keeping you well,\u201d said Ritchie.<\/p>\n

When you do engage in distracting and dissociating behaviors, have a plan to do something more rewarding after, Ritchie said. This way, you can snap yourself out of the dissociation.<\/p>\n

For instance, you can unwind by watching Netflix, but set a limit for one hour and then follow it up with a phone call to a friend or some time washing dishes, Ritchie suggested.<\/p>\n

Doing something with someone else (such as taking a walk together or talking on the phone) can be a good way to break the dissociation, Ritchie said. Or, if you don\u2019t thrive in social situations, \u201cbring yourself more into your body\u201d by taking a bath, shower, or knitting, noted Ritchie.<\/p>\n

\u201cDistraction is not wrong. It just can\u2019t be the only thing you\u2019re doing, because eventually it stops working and it sort of disconnects you from other parts of your life that are keeping you well.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Kayla Ritchie, licensed mental health counselor<\/p>\n

Also, give yourself permission to take a step back from whatever is causing you stress, whether that is the news or your job, said Yankah Addo.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least giving yourself a break if you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed, if you\u2019re starting to feel like it\u2019s weighing on your mental health,\u201d Yankah Addo said.<\/p>\n

Instead of scrolling through stressful updates online, go for a walk, she said. Or take a week-long break from consuming the news if you notice it\u2019s weighing on you, Yankah Addo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause some of these challenges are things that will always be there, but if you engage with them really consistently and in a steady way, without necessarily giving yourself that break or [without] involving yourself in activities that make you feel like you have some sort of agency to change them, then it\u2019s something that has a very high likelihood of creating some of those feelings of feeling disenfranchised or disassociating and similar things,\u201d Yankah Addo said.<\/p>\n

Whatever breaks make you feel empowered \u2014 whether that\u2019s an hour of Netflix<\/a>, a walk, or a phone call with a friend \u2014 is key.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s something that can always help to combat some of those feelings that can come from engaging with the very real stressors that are happening right now,\u201d said Yankah Addo.<\/p>\n

Without giving yourself breaks, you won\u2019t have the capacity or ability to make change, she said.<\/p>\n

So, while dissociating may not feel \u201cproductive\u201d in the moment, it\u2019s actually one of the most productive and protective things you can do.<\/p>\n