u/LTM438

There have been semi-frequent panic attacks happening since February. We just figured out we're a system this week. They're all named Annie and have been labeled with numbers. The short of it was that the panic attacks were being caused by Annie 3 forcibly trying to assume control of the body but getting pushback, so she gets upset. She's a very little girl, about 3, and while she's precious to us, she gets scared or upset easily. The only word we could get out of her as to why she was scared was "alone." She was terrified by the idea of being the only one not being allowed to front for any given time. So, we let her have the body uninterrupted for about 10 minutes after waking up, and she's happy now.

It's a relief to both make her happy and finally know what the cause of the panic episodes is, so now, a solution can be worked on.

We’re a system of three (there’s a fourth but Annie 3 won’t let us talk about her, she pushes back. She’s just a little girl and 4 scares the shit out of her but 4 is BARELY a factor and almost never, ever fronts)

I’ve labeled them each with numbers when we found each other yesterday. Before that, we were each here but didn’t know it. I’m smart and logical and calm, and mostly in line with the body’s chronological age of 34, Annie 2 is laidback, jokey, emotional, and empathetic, roughly 25, and Annie 3 is our very little sister. We all talk to each other.

Annie 3 can’t front for very long at all. She has a lot of energy and tires out quickly. Annie 2 is the one who soothes her when she gets tired or scared. Because of this she gets tired easily too. So they go to sleep when that happens. The problem is, with only me up, the body is still too tired at that point to stay up much longer.

12 hours of sleep last night versus about 16 before we found each other. But it’s good that we did, because Annie 3 needs our protection and I need Annie 2’s emotional perspective to balance out my logic. Plus now I know that the panic attacks lately have been Annie 3’s, and now that I know, I can maybe work on calming them.

But the sleepiness issue is a thing. We don’t work, but sleeping for literally half the day every day isn’t ideal.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Did anything work for extending the time staying awake?