Anyone else ever feel there is something missing? I can't define exactly what I mean, I don't mean finding God I'm cool with my spirituality but something else. Something like I don't feel completely alive and that I'm missing the point of existence, that there must be more to life than what I'm doing (although I am blissfully happy with every aspect of my life at the moment which is why I am bothered by this feeling). I don't know I can't put my finger on it...any more lost souls out there?

I think I understand what you mean.. I am happy with my life and I love what I do.. but sometimes I do think that there is so much more to life.. I have friends off travelling the world and doing exciting things.. Whereas I'm 25, still a student with a not so healthy bank balance and still living in shared rented accomodation.. But I think its probably just a case of 'the grass is always greener...'

Weird isn't it? At least I'm not on my own. I'm certainly content just concerned maybe I am missing the point, what if change isnt through academic endeavor and I should be out there hands on making things better and making a difference *humph* life is so confusing why don't you get a guidebook at birth...thanks for being insane with me

Do you ever have those "3am moments", where you are not quite awake and not quite asleep, and everything seems unreal?

Or is that just me

On the contrary - I often have those "3pm moments", where I am not really working but not really shirking work as well. But yeah, everything seems unreal then.

And yeah for the second time - I am also suffering from the life anxiety. But suppose it's not about being insane. It's about being human, isn't it?

Juno..I seem to live in a semi-permenant 3am state...only rousing from it when necessity calls...seriously!!
R...I like that way of thinking not insane merely human...was it Durkheim who said that mental instability was a rational reaction to a confusing world?
Cheers chaps I don't feel so 'out there' now....I wish I didnt think as much and that I could sometimes just shut my brain down for few hours.

a glitch in the matrix?

Know exactly what you mean dazednconfused, I keep thinking that there must be more out there, and that I could/should be doing more with my life, but have no idea what that 'more' is, how to go about doing it, and whether it really will be an improvement on what's already a pretty good life when all's said and done. Wierd feeling isn't it?

Maybe you need to do something completely different? Like take an unusual holiday. I would love to go on one where I would explore the Amazon rain forest. I also want to take photos of whales around Britain but I can't afford neither.

Dazed: have you read any Jostein Gaarder books (the author of Sophie's World)? All his stories revolve around people who feel a bit like you, but in his mind that makes them wide awake in the world (as oppsed to the majority of people).

dazed, i don't know how to put it into words, but i think i feel "like that" too. not all the time, but quite often. normally it happens when i am alone and my mind idle. everything seems unreal - insignificant - absurd. perhaps it is like viewing myself and my life in the "big picture" of the world and history. in that picture, i and my problems and my small reality appear so ... void of meaning? i really don't know how to put it.
in bad times, it also happens when i'm among people. out of the blue, in the middle of an interesting conversation, it feels as if i am standing beside myself, watching - and from that perspective it all seems so superficial, and unreal, as if it could just as well be a figment of my imagination... oh drat - don't take me literally here, i really can't find the proper words.

I can best describe it as feeling as if your brain has been put into the body of a robot (bear with me here). You are in control of the body, but it doesn't feel or sound or look like part of you.

The term is "depersonalization", I think: it is very common during anxiety attacks, long-term stress, and apparantly is also common in epilepsy.

hmm juno... anxiety attacks, long term stress, and epilepsy - makes you think!

maybe we're just all the "mad genius" type

Hey you lot, huge thanks and a big wwwHug. I posted thinking I may be going insane and at the most hoping for a good recommendation of a psychiatrist, now I think I may not be quite so out there after all. I can relate to the feeling of being outside yourself and seeing things happen around you. I hope maybe the way I am is being in the real world. My lovely other half reckons my life parrallels Neo in the matrix (except I am not 'the one'...I am not that far up my own bottom!!)Maybe I should stop analysing so much...either way I feel better knowing theres more of you like me out there cheers chaps you're great

lol Chrisrolinski.......Don't even get me thinking about the possibility of the existance of the matrix

I'm off to look for Jostein Gaarder books, the holiday sounds good too but my irrational fear of flying makes it harder to be more exotic than Skegness...hopefully after my forced flight to a conference next month I'll be able to rethink that (if the plane doesent crash that is!!!

Hug embrace to you lot again x