How to Deal With Deja Vu

Staying Calm

Take slow, deep breaths. Experiencing déjà vu can be an overwhelming or even frightening experience for some people. You can deal with déjà vu by taking a few (or several) deep, slow breaths to calm yourself down. Deep breathing can slow your heart rate and decrease physical tension in your body. Slowly and deliberately breath in through your nose. Hold it for a few seconds and then release the breath through your mouth. Take as many breaths as you need to calm yourself.

Focus on the current moment. You can deal with déjà vu and any uncomfortable feelings associated with it if you focus your mind and senses on the present. Being mindful of how you are feeling and what you are doing can help decrease any feelings of anxiety or stress you might have because of your déjà vu. Notice how your body is feeling. You might ask yourself, “Do I feel tense anywhere? Do I feel nauseous? Do I feel calm?” Pay attention to your breathing. Is it normal and steady? Shallow? Fast or uneven? Focus on what thoughts and memories you are having at the moment. Don’t try to stop them, just acknowledge them and let them pass through your mind. For example, you might think, “I’m thinking about how familiar this scene is. How I feel like I have done this exact thing before.”

Keep a déjà vu journal. You can deal with your déjà vu experiences by documenting them when they happen. This way you can write down the details of the situation and the feelings that it evokes. Buy a notebook small enough to carry with you everywhere. You never know where you might be when you experience déjà vu. Write it down every time you get the feeling of déjà vu. Write how long it lasted, where you were, what you were doing, who else was there, and the date. Write about how the experience made you feel. For example, did it startle you? Comfort you? Frighten you?

Talk to others about your déjà vu. Some studies indicate that about 65% of young adults experience déjà vu at least once in their lifetime. Talk to your friends and family about your experiences. It’s likely they have experienced something similar and may be able to help you deal with your déjà vu. For instance, you could say to your friend, “I think I’m experiencing déjà vu and it feels really weird. Has this ever happened to you?” Or, you might tell your sibling, “I had the strongest feeling of déjà vu just now. Can I tell you about it?”

Taking Care of Yourself

Decrease your stress. Some studies report that déjà vu happens more often when you are stressed. Deal with your déjà vu by doing things to lower your overall stress level. Identify the things that have you stressed and problem-solve ways to reduce the stress they are causing you. For example, if you are stressed about your workload then you might talk to someone close to you about how you are feeling and try to get organized. Start practicing meditation as a way to keep yourself calm and reduce some of the stress you might be feeling. Try some deep breathing exercises as a way to lower your anxiety and decrease any stress that you are feeling.

Get more rest. There is some research that links déjà vu to lack of sleep and fatigue. In order to deal with your déjà vu, make sure that you are getting enough sleep and not wearing yourself out. Go to bed at a regular time each evening. Do something relaxing and soothing in the hour or so before you go to sleep. For example, you might read a book, listen to calming music, or have a cup of tea. Make sure that you are taking time each day to simply relax and do something calming and peaceful.

Examination your medications. There is a body of research that suggests that certain medications can trigger increases in chemicals in the body, like dopamine, that can increase your likelihood of experiencing déjà vu. Taking a look at your medications and researching how they affect your dopamine levels can help you deal with déjà vu. Ask your physician if any of your regular or short-term medications increase the dopamine levels in your brain. Ask yourself if your déjà vu began or increased around the time you started taking the medication? If you have ever stopped taking the medication, did your déjà vu experiences decrease or stop?

Talk to your doctor about frequent déjà vu. Experiencing déjà vu frequently, especially in children and teenagers may be a sign of epilepsy. There has even been a case of frequent déjà vu being caused by anxiety. Discuss it with your doctor if you feel that your déjà vu experiences are happening more than they should be. You might say, “Dr. Yung, I’ve been experiencing déjà vu a lot lately and it’s worrying me a bit.” Or, you could try, “I’d like to talk to about déjà vu and what it might mean if I have it a lot.” Bring your déjà vu journal with you to your doctor’s visit so that you can share it with your doctor.

Making the Most of Déjà Vu

Enjoy it while it lasts. Some research indicates that experiences of déjà vu start to decrease as you get older. So instead of fighting the sensation, document it , and enjoy the wonder and novelty of it while you can. Try to keep track of how frequently you are having déjà vu experiences to determine if the frequency is decreasing. Notice if there are any patterns as to when or where your déjà vu experiences occur. Do they usually happen in the morning or evening, for example?

Use your déjà vu to your benefit. One study indicated that people who experience déjà vu may be better at remembering things than people that don’t. For example, research has found that people who experience déjà vu remember their dreams better than people than people who don’t experience déjà vu. Deal with your déjà vu by using it to exercise your memory and recall skills. Make an effort to recall the specific circumstances of the original incident when you experience déjà vu. Practice paying attention to detail on an everyday basis to deal with your déjà vu and improve your memory even more. For example, notice how things smell, look, taste, feel, and sound. Also, pay attention to emotions in each moment. For instance, if you are swimming, you might notice that you feel relaxed and calm and that the water is salty and cool.

Separate déjà vu from other experiences. The more you know about déjà vu, the easier it will be for you to deal with it and appreciate it. So take the time to learn more about déjà vu and experiences similar to it. Déjà vu is the feeling that you have experienced a particular and exact situation or sequence of events before. For example, while on a vacation to a place you’ve never been before, you get the feeling that you’ve stood on that exact beach before watching the sunset, even though you know it’s impossible. Another experience you might have is called déjà entendu, the feeling that you have heard something before, but can’t remember from where. For instance, if you hear a Gregorian chant that sounds strongly familiar even when you have never listened to anything like that before. Learn about jamais vu, which happens when you are somewhere familiar but it feels like you have never been there before. This might occur when you walk into your bedroom, but feel as if you are entering the room for the first time in your life.