Hypervigilence vesus being paranoid

[snowangel35]

What are your thoughts on the difference between someone being hypervigilant versus someone being paranoid? How are paranoid and someone being paranoid different?

 

[EveHarrington]

Hypervigilance is picking up on subtle cues and extrapolating them well beyond what they actually mean. It’s individualistic.

ie my boyfriend and my mother talk about ways to help me. I misinterpret their behavior as them ganging up on me and being against me.

Vigilant in picking up cues, hyper in how I interpret them in my mind.

Paranoia is more blanketing, ie everyone is against me, the government is out to get me.

I once feared I had PPD. I showed my doc a list of my supposed “paranoid” traits. (It was long.) He dismissed the idea, saying it’s all trauma. To his credit, a personality disorder is widespread over all facets of personality/life, not just when your anxiety shoots sky-high.

I just brush off the idiots who tell me I’m paranoid.

 

[Abstract]

It also relates to your senses. Because your autonomic system is on red alert. So sight sound smells etc can be exaggerated. Startle reflex is usually exaggerated. The toaster pops up and you jump. You fee like you can see around corners. Like the intensity dial on life is turned up.

I do talk about myself as being paranoid as that is what it feels like. I guess in truth it isn't consistent. And on some level I often know its a distortion. Possibly.

 

[Happyplace76]

I struggle with this - worrying that I really am paranoid or have a personality disorder. It makes me feel crazy but my therapist reigns me in and reminds me it’s the anxiety and trauma and that I don’t, shed tell me. It’s like a lot of things my brain thinks is a threat because of past traumas and a year of being in constant crisis. It takes a toll and has me questioning my sanity quite a bit. You’re not alone and thank you for posting this!

 

[Mach123]

Pretty much the same I think. Call it what u want.

 

[Ronin]

Hypervig, over watchful over things actually there / scenarios with basis in reality.

Paranoia, preoccupied with things that are not actual / things with very little basis in reality, or being possible for current settings.

... And the quality of those emotions, ime. As in grounding will kick hypervig to the curb, paranoia, not so much, got to address that it actually is paranoia and different skillset. I usually do better when having to turn paranoia on its ear and to something I am familiar with and that is more hypervig lair ((ookay, you are in enough rice pudding you are dead tomorrow? Can you walk me through precisely how? vs. if it were actual, would need to know where to duck to, f*ck the bullshit.

People around me I trust have usually been able to tell both apart just well. Also because when hypervig on steroids, I make sense, essentially / am able to walk them through things very fast. When paranoid, I miss out huge chunks / have less facts and orientation in them, more suppositions.))