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

I think anxiety is an unusual mental issue because it can seem completely rational. There are things in life to be worried about right? At the same time, just because it can seem rational, doesn't mean it is necessary. We would all worry if we can't afford food but worries about things that are way beyond our control/understanding should dominate our thoughts.

So I would suggest, as others have, seeing a trained Therapist and trying to get to the root of the fears that drive your anxiety. I personally got over some very deep-rooted insecurities that were mainly related to trying to please people because my dad was never "pleased". I didn't think I had a problem and had the therapy because of opportunity, not need. Changed by life. The outside stuff didn't change but my ability to deal with it did.

Good luck!

If you won't try therapy, maybe consider 'better living through chemistry' and get yourself a xanax prescription.

I'm not gonna lie, copious amounts of quetiapine.

> So I work, always, because I'm anxious

I think most people are like this. It's the religion of the modern age. It is a meditation, that takes us away from our underlying fears. And there's plenty of reasons to be afraid. We are all poor fragile monkeys here, any one of us could get wiped out randomly at any moment. How can you be ok with that? You can't. And so we search for a release. For most of us it is work. Of course there's many other things people try: money, food, sex, drugs...

This is not correct, at any level.

1. "By working harder and harder for the digital economy you are actively contributing the problems you've listed. Stacking up piles of money is the last thing you should do if you care about pollution, war and digital alienation."

No, you can work in the digital economy for change. "Stacking" money, or saving is not the last thing to do if you care about pollution, it's not me first, it's about being a conscious human being able to plan ahead akin to storing food for winter. Exhausting your runway, savings and comparing it to Pollution, war and digital alienation is the same as poisoning the well. Saving money is financial independence.

2. "Take a look at game theory and the prisoner dilemma if you haven't already. The "me first" mentality is killing us. The textbook example is gun ownership. You may feel personally safer by owning a gun but places with more guns have more shootings. So in reality by owning a gun you're actually increasing your chances of getting shot."

Game theory =/= Me first, while the prisoner dilemma is introductory, you're thinking it in the wrong way of juxtaposing it as a net benefit and someone loses "e.g. I say they did it, and I'll be free" vs collaboration, it's not binary.

3. "The digital economy is at the epicenter of the issues you've listed. It's a resource sink generating a lot of pollution, has always been closely linked to the war industry and is a factor of increased inequality and mental health issues." Disagree, it's also the most efficient economy we humans have created thus. That's why it's centerstage, whereas before geographic arbitrage was strong now people all around the world can communicate semi freely, if not entirely free and conduct business. Saying it's the epicenter, is comparing todays Internet to the postal service of the past and men on horses riding personally for 1:1 messages - how was business, trade and war conducted before? Was it all 100% that looking back? No.