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

Yeah, the reality is that things right now really are pretty bad and likely to get much worse. Pretty much everyone knows that the situation now is not sustainable and that we're only starting to really experience the consequences of letting things get this messed up.

Of course so many people are experiencing anxiety these days. Our lizard brains are screaming at us that we need to be doing something, but pretty much all of us are powerless to stop the worst things going on and it's perfectly normal to not know what we're supposed to be doing right now. "Prepare" is a very sensible instinct and money really can solve, or at least ease, a lot of problems so it makes sense to want more in times of uncertainty. Sounds like you know you're in a pretty good place there already though.

I would suggest (as others have) talking with therapist, but I'd also suggest that you spend time examining the specific issues that worry you to try to think of things you can do to help or at least prepare for what's likely to happen in ways besides just making more money. Listen to your body which is telling you this isn't the time to be idle, but make sure you're devoting that energy where it can do the most good without making yourself miserable.

Historically, this is the role religion played. I'm not saying "go to church" (or mosque or temple or whatever it is you want to go to)... But sometimes we get a little smug looking at the past. There's thousands of years of culture built up you can avail yourself of.

I moved to the forest, way off grid.

The grand existential worries are further away, and the birds still sing each morning. Of course the worries are still there, but I have enough real, imminent, and perfectly solvable worries right here to keep me occupied and feeling adequately in control of my environment.

I suppose one can choose to try to persist in the mechanised world, and if you can make it work, power to you — or you can reject it and walk away into the bushes. There’s nothing wrong with choosing a different path. Some folks will try to talk you out of it, but they speak from their fears. Now more than ever, what with all-spanning connectivity, if you need to work for a living, you can, from anywhere.

Keep investing, is all I’d say - the markets are depressed and are likely to become moreso, so it’s an excellent time to think about accruing - it’s how I’ve afforded to do what I do, and work only because I want to.

For what it’s worth, my living expenses out here are so low that it’s put me in a position to better help those who need it, be it family, friends, or just a local villager who’s struggling to put food on the table, than I ever was in while I worked in a city for a living.

Sounds like you're doing well professionally. But that your professional success and growth (again, which are great things) are part of a cover-up mechanism for underlying fear (which is valid and relatable). Even your vacations, restaurants, new hobbies, those all sound like they're in the bucket of "external things" (alongside your professional success) to try to stave off the existential anxiety about the crumbling world all around us.

Like others are suggesting, I'd consider spending time finding a counselor who is a good fit for you (may need to do some shopping around), or read up on books about anxiety, how to let go of things outside of your sphere of influence and control, and etc.

Those are more "inner" stuff (vs the "external" things, such as work, hobbies, vacay, food, people, etc.). Inner stuff is huge, because it basically impacts every single relationship we have, with anyone, anywhere, no matter the degree of closeness or not.

Some folks will settle for managing the symptoms of anxiety, but others try to go after the roots of the causes and see if they can even replace the roots with entire new paradigms.

Either way, it's kind of a long-haul commitment, a lifestyle, if you will. Just some food for thought to consider. Glad you're doing well with your work. Hope you can find that inner equilibrium no matter what's happening around us (because we're learning to manage what is within us, so to speak).

Tell your family you won a holiday in a competition. Spend a week or two of earnings on that family holiday where you can all hang out and just spend time without the grind of work. Hopefully without any knowledge of what the holiday cost, they can appreciate the experience without trying to decide whether what it cost was worth it. And hopefully with your valued family around, you can enjoy cooking/dining/exploring together and worry less about the dramas of the world which are out of your control.