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Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

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Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#121

Post by rdsubhas »

rdsubhas wrote: post #109

Hey there. I know exactly what you mean and why you are going through this. This is the fate of very talented AND moral/just/fair people – who work in a social environment where there is no social equality. For reference: I worked in India where the average monthly salary is much lower than what you said. Curse of being talented/rewarded, when you walk/bike through the streets where everyone is struggling to live, an…

I passed the edit window. I missed what you said about your close family and relatives. So maybe I understood wrong, you're worried about your future.

This is also true. Yes, in places with lower social equality – higher pay does not lead to less anxiety, on the contrary it leads to more. No amount of earning will feel enough when there are zero social nets for people around you. People earning much lesser but in environments with good social nets are less anxious about their future.

In this case, I would recommend what the others recommend: Find a shoulder to cry on, and keep chugginng along. Therapists, trusted friends, relatives – people whom you can trust and vent your insecurities safely on. Remember, people earning lower have it even worse.

Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#122

Post by crypt1d »

shafyy wrote: post #56
crypt1d wrote: post #55

Slightly off-topic, but since a lot of people here mention therapy: I'm curious if there any recommendations / advices regarding online therapy? Would you recommend any website or anyone in particular? I have been thinking about going to therapy for a while, but haven't found any good recommendations for a local therapist so I want to try something online.

If you live in Switzerland (or I guess also outside, but not sure if your insurance will cover it then), you can give Aepsy ( https://aepsy.com/ ) a try (disclaimer: The founder is a good friend of mine, but it's a great service)

I'd be happy to pay for it out of pocket, but it seems like aepsy is German only? I'm afraid that wont work for me, but perhaps someone else here finds it valuable. thank you

Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#123

Post by jvanderbot »

CipherThrowaway wrote: post #65
lofties wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your opinion might be unpopular but it shouldn't be. I'm quite well off, have friends, an overall good life, but at the same time was a miserable sack of shit. Until I talked to a therapist. Initially we spoke every week, now I talk to her about once a month. We talk about everything. What bothers me at work. What bothers me in the world. Things that are going well. Things that are unfair. And she's an impartial advi…

>If we break our bones we visit a doctor. If our teeth hurt we visit a dentist. Depends on your health insurance, financial standing and free time. If you're an affluent tech worker you probably would go to a dentist for a toothache. Most people I know would not. I wouldn't compare mental health to broken bones. We've been successfully treating broken bones for thousands of years. Seeking treatment for depression or…

You are right on all points, but please ask yourself if the contrarian details really detract from the main message. I'd argue not.

And, to be clear, "Helping you cope" is so extremely powerful and is essentially the point of therapy, most religions, and all major life philosophies. Coping skills are the foundation of solid mental health and long-term happiness.

Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#126

Post by taylodl »

rockbruno wrote: post #13

>I feel like we are destroying our planet, destroying our economy, we make poor people poorer, stir political extremes, we alienate the younger generation with social medias, there is war in Europe, everything is about politics when it should be about science and people... I think my opinion is unpopular, but it shouldn't be, and perhaps the fact that it's unpopular is part of the reason why so many people find thems…

This is the way.

The OP may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. A therapist is a good first step to getting it identified and start getting it treated.

Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#127

Post by systemvoltage »

Comevius wrote: post #119
systemvoltage wrote: post #59

Unpopular opinion: I don’t think we are destroying the planet. There is global warming and there is doom and gloom climate change perpetuated by the media. ESG corporations are spinning this hard too.

Science says otherwise, and I'm not saying this to cause further anxiety, but the picture is crystal clear. In some ways we already did destroy the planet, the biodiversity crisis we are facing appears to be irreversible. In the last 50 years 70% of the wildlife have been lost. We are officially in a mass extinction event. The IPCC climate models paint a grim picture without accounting for carbon-cycle feebacks. Ther…

Recommend watching this Google Talk. The way information bubbles up from experts right down to media through several layers of summarization and omission of facts is dubious and lacks critical oversight.

https://youtu.be/s6b7K1hjZk4

Your enthusiasm and blind trust is exactly what we don’t want in scientific inquiry. We want more skeptics when becoming a skeptic is considered politically motivated or otherwise.

Science only works when skepticism is fundamentally a feature, not a bug.

Prediction models have error bars that have wild std deviations, yet by the time people like yourself consume information through Climate activists, it has gone through about 7 layers of abstractions. Recommend reading Alex Esptein’s books on Climate alarmicism.

What I can accept so far is that there is some global warming due to human activity. It’s impact and severity is still questionable and not conclusive even by the experts of Climate science from NOAA, if you actually read the publications.

Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#129

Post by Comevius »

systemvoltage wrote: post #127
Comevius wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Science says otherwise, and I'm not saying this to cause further anxiety, but the picture is crystal clear. In some ways we already did destroy the planet, the biodiversity crisis we are facing appears to be irreversible. In the last 50 years 70% of the wildlife have been lost. We are officially in a mass extinction event. The IPCC climate models paint a grim picture without accounting for carbon-cycle feebacks. Ther…

Recommend watching this Google Talk. The way information bubbles up from experts right down to media through several layers of summarization and omission of facts is dubious and lacks critical oversight. https://youtu.be/s6b7K1hjZk4 Your enthusiasm and blind trust is exactly what we don’t want in scientific inquiry. We want more skeptics when becoming a skeptic is considered politically motivated or otherwise. Scienc…

I'm not an expert in climate change, but I read a lot of science paper (mostly cryptography and behavior science) and I understand how science works. I understand it's process, it's limitations. I also see the writing on the wall. I don't like it, I'm not enthusiastic about it, I don't place blind trust in it. It's there, whether I like it or not. There are a lot of uncertainties about the details, but the big picture is clear.

Alex Epstein is a propagandist. His only activity is casting doubt, scepticism. He is being paid by companies trying to control the narrative, because their bottom line depends on freely polluting the planet, without consequences. He is a puppet so that powerful people can fill their pockets, while accussing everyone else of the same. He literally doesn't care about the facts, and you are not supposed to poke holes in his theories. He is there to muddy the waters to absolve people from consequences.

These people only care about themselves. People often fall for their shtick for emotional reasons. Some people are more sensitive to uncertainty and fear, so they latch into beliefs and views that reintroduce certainty as a defense mechanism. The propagandists take advantage of this by first creating uncertainty (making it harder to know what's real, who you can trust) and then offering a way out.

I'm not offering a way out. There is no obvious solution. I'm not selling anything to you.

Re: Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness

#130

Post by otikik »

Madmallard wrote: post #85
_8j50 wrote: post #82

The deceptive thing about anxiety is that it leads you to believe you can do something to change an outcome. Even if that was true, the fear behind anxiety leads to despair and mistakes and ultimately tragedy. Having reasonable concern and making the best decision you can is good but anxiety is a force that pulls you so that your concern is beyond reason and your decisions less than ideal.

That’d be a rather ineffective survival mechanism if that were the case. Panic leads to irrational behavior but anxiety is there to alert you of something needing attention.

There's anxiety (a feeling of nervousness or unease, in presence of a real or perceived threat or danger), which is normal and useful - you feel anxious before giving a public speech, or asking someone out. Panic is a stronger version of anxiety, but it can be justified and also be useful - you will feel it if you get attacked by an enraged dog or when you see a man running towards you with a knife.

Then there's Anxiety Disorder, which is a mental condition. There's many subtypes. They prevent the individual from having a normal life, and/or are uncontrollable. They are not useful. One anxiety disorders manifest in Panic Attacks, which can feel similar to a heart attack and happen seemingly randomly.

> ineffective survival mechanisms

Yes, when anxiety gets "ineffective" it has become Anxiety Disorder.

A healthy dose of fear of being run over by a car when crossing the street is useful and normal. Not being able to get out of your house because you are afraid of cars is a disorder.

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