The other day my kid said "Why do your eyes look small?" Actually I had noticed this during my last big episode. I thought I looked horrible. Like I was dehydrated or something, sunken eyes and all.

Is this like a physical manifestation of what's going on in the body or something? Or just lack of sleep, etc.

Sorry to keep answering your posts. But....I get bags on my bags during my insomnia cycles, nightmare times. I have been told that when I am PTSDing hard that I look different (mean, pursed lips, small mean eyes) and that I act different (irritable, irrational at times (hate to admit it), immature, volitile, and quick to be ready for violence) I used to act on it, but now take a time out and baste alone in my misery as I say and do things I regret. I guess you could say that you are a different person when its hitting hard. It is good that you recognize that, now to learn to get a leash on it. That is the trick. Best of luck to you and we are here for you, that helps me so much having this forum, cannot stress that enough.

My symptoms of PTSD use to seriously distort my perception of what I saw when I looked in the mirror. It still distorts how I think and feel about myself too often, but no longer what I see. I mean, I no longer see what once looked like road maps to me on my eyelids. (LOL)

And, though genetically I have somewhat of a darker color below my eyes, people don't approach me anymore and ask me if I currently have a busted nose bc of the two black eyes that they perceived I presently had when in fact I had nothing of the sort at the time.

But I think I know what you mean angel, bc I'm almost certain that I truly do look very different and I know I behave very differently when I'm suffering with many symptoms of my PTSD simultaneously. And, I think it's an interplay of emotional and nuero/physiological manifestations. I mean with too high anxiety, I've previously had myofacial paralysis and a litany of other nuero/phys. symptoms and all escalating from my PTSD and erupting deep and immense emotion.

Anxiety / hypervigilence does that... ie. pupil reactions.