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Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

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191–200 of 240 posts

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#191
you need to focus on a single thing, finish it and move on to the next. It's easier said than done because sometimes one thing might take too long and you might feel the need to drop it and attend to another task that's more urgent.

But at the end of the day, once you finish a task, however small, you'll feel better and have more mental energy to deal with the rest.

Also lying in the bed and worrying about what to do is less useful than getting into a more awake posture (sitting at a desk) and dealing with an issue. That said give yourself frequent breaks (reading HN) but cap it so you don't spend all your day reading news.

Don't forget daily exposure to sunlight. It regulates your clock and mood.

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#193

I've been through the same cycle for many years (I can even say decades). My recommendation is to seek help from a psychiatrist. You probably have generalized anxiety disorder and it often goes hand in hand with depression. A psychiatrist will be able to diagnose those and give you medication if you need it. She could also recommend therapy, but you need to be diagnosed first. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to f…

Yes, absolutely this. Getting on sertraline changed my life.

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#194

The best solution to getting past the anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle is to take small, manageable actions while accepting the feelings that go along with those actions. Start with the smallest steps possible. Maybe that means opening the assignment and saving it to your computer. Then put it down and walk away. Come back in a little while and take another small step, such as reading over the assignment or making an out…

I use tanglo app (tanglo.app) and something about just clicking "start" on a small task is enough to break the cycle for me. Tanglo is also helpful in visualizing what I can REALISTICALLY get done in my day and what happens if I don't start.

When I don't start a scheduled task, it just keeps pushing it down further and further. If I procrastinate too long, tasks at the end get moved to tomorrow automatically. Which sucks. Small steps, click start.

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#196

The best solution to getting past the anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle is to take small, manageable actions while accepting the feelings that go along with those actions. Start with the smallest steps possible. Maybe that means opening the assignment and saving it to your computer. Then put it down and walk away. Come back in a little while and take another small step, such as reading over the assignment or making an out…

Start with the smallest steps possible. Maybe that means opening the assignment and saving it to your computer. This is insanely effective for me. Avoidance/procrastination is still an ongoing struggle for me, and I suspect it always will be. But breaking things down into steps is my best weapon. Nothing comes close. (Second place is probably "getting good sleep" which has positive benefits for well, just about any c…

(Second place is probably "getting good sleep" which has positive benefits for well, just about any challenge your mind faces)

I implemented a system of 9+ hours of sleep the night before an exam; this means I'll be in bed an hour and a half (maybe 3 hours) before my usual bed time. This provides a noticeable buff to my speed, accuracy, and recall on test day.

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please try and be less rude I already said it isn’t like normal depression, you ignored this… Unfortunately in the dysthymia community we have to deal with a lot of people that are ignorant to the disorder, you sound like you haven’t even heard the word dysthymia before today. Most people, even many doctors, are not properly aware of it. You should research it

Have you ever tried something more extreme to cope, like Ayahuasca? I went from being a majorly depressed person and suicidal to being a lightly depressed, non suicidal person and I think Ayahuasca contributed to that.

I tried LSD and it made me severely suicidal. I had to take up a religion to not kill myself. On the dysthymia front, I’ve had it constantly since age 9 and am now 27. It’s not something I expect to change. Most people who have dysthymia learn coping mechanisms rather than trying to actually cure it. Major Depression on the other hand (which in my case would be a double depression) is more severe and more treatable

Dysthymia is already “lightly depressed”. LSD made me majorly feel unfit for this reality. And yes the set and setting were great both times, I’m just very unlucky

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#198
I had massive issues like these in the past until I spoke with a person who provides therapy for these specific problems. The first day, he gave me a book on the topic and said that it had valuable info up to about chapter 4. In a nutshell, and from that book, who's title eludes me, I created the FU technique. I know, it sounds ridiculous but it totally works for me. Aside from diet leading to your issues, the best solution for dealing with panic / anxiety is to get angry with yourself. I have stopped numerous panic attacks talking trash to myself. Once you get used to its effect, move on to imbibing in physical activities that also induce panic / anxiety. This will help you build a permanent foundation of self trust and accomplishment. Like killing it on your assignments. Another thing is to learn to crave the anxiety associated with these tasks. Try to teach yourself to get excited with each new challenge. The more you engage in things that make you uneasy and succeed, the more you can handle.

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

To me it seems like you’re so attached to your success stories that you cannot accept that sometimes there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. It seems like you deal with reality by thinking that everyone can deal with their problems. Time to wake up to the truth: some people will die with their illnesses, and some illnesses are more treatment resistant than others. I’m sorry that this isn’t a flowery enough stor…

> One day your bubble will burst

Now you are wishing it on others? Sorry, not going to happen.

Re: Ask HN: How to break anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle?

#200

The best solution to getting past the anxiety/fear-avoidance cycle is to take small, manageable actions while accepting the feelings that go along with those actions. Start with the smallest steps possible. Maybe that means opening the assignment and saving it to your computer. Then put it down and walk away. Come back in a little while and take another small step, such as reading over the assignment or making an out…

I use tanglo app (tanglo.app) and something about just clicking "start" on a small task is enough to break the cycle for me. Tanglo is also helpful in visualizing what I can REALISTICALLY get done in my day and what happens if I don't start. When I don't start a scheduled task, it just keeps pushing it down further and further. If I procrastinate too long, tasks at the end get moved to tomorrow automatically. Which s…

You must be either the developer or an early user - I tried to register but it says "Registration will be open soon! Please check back with us."
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