This used to happen to me all the time whenever I started to panic. I’d be walking somewhere and I either get deja vu about whatever I am seeing at that time, or even just random things. It felt like I was remembering a dream I never had. 

Obviously if I’m in my kitchen I would have been there before, so it’s hard to explain someone that I’m feeling really scary deja vu about me being in my kitchen (for example). 

Deja vu is just the closest thing I can think of to describe the feeling. 

But sometimes it isn’t about my surroundings. I’ll start having visions of something I don’t recognize. Something really mundane. Just like a dream you kind of visualize while you’re remembering it - and it freaks me out. I remember when this would happen often, I’d feel like the “visions” were the same or similar each time - but I don’t remember them when they’re gone. 

It’s hard because I will try to explain to whoever I’m with that I’m really scared because I’m having a vision of people walking in a hallway. What? How is that scary? Idk. But I’m getting a weird deja vu, and for whatever reason it is legitimately scaring me. 

None of this perfectly describes my feelings during this. It happened last week after not happening for a long long time, and since it happened after I hadn’t thought about it for a long time - I know it’s real. I was walking down my basement stairs and felt like “I’ve done this before”. Of course I have. But why do I have this feeling of deja vu that scares me? It only happens when I’m really really anxious and/or upset.