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Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

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31–40 of 82 posts

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#31
What happens after death? Do you simply cease to exist? What happens to your mind and soul? I'm not a religious person but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this. It's such a weird feeling when you think deeply about it.

I try and not think too much about it.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#33

What happens after death? Do you simply cease to exist? What happens to your mind and soul? I'm not a religious person but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this. It's such a weird feeling when you think deeply about it. I try and not think too much about it.

I've also experienced this kind of existential dread on and off for the past 10 years or so. What really helped me was reading the work of Alan Watts. I find the idea of the concepts of "self" and "other" being mere illusions and that everyone is the universe looking at itself through a different lens really appealing, and makes the idea of dying someday more acceptable to me.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#34

What happens after death? Do you simply cease to exist? What happens to your mind and soul? I'm not a religious person but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this. It's such a weird feeling when you think deeply about it. I try and not think too much about it.

I doubt that minds survive death. Anything's possible, of course. But expecting survival seems iffy.

Here's the cool thing, however. You'll never know that you're dead. And, unless you're being executed, you'll never know for sure that you're dying. Or at least, the experience probably won't last for very long.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#35

1) Climate change and the collapse of modern civilization. 2) Dying before having children or proving my worth. Living in poverty. 3) Losing face. I don't want to disappoint my family anymore. 4) The fear of diabetes and other illnesses. 5) The cultural and demographic destruction of Europe.

Especially 1 and 5! These are also a big part of my daily worries.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#36
Doing a side project (open source) is what keeps me up at night. I don't know why, I just push hard myself at least there is one commit a day. Beside that, I think random things a lot. I always waste my night to think about it rather than plan or take an action.

I worry about my health. My sleep time is decrease. I have to wake up in the morning and then go to office. When my sleep time is not enough, I wouldn't focus. I lose my valuable time for starting my day, like exercise and meditation. I heard that would be a problem if you don't have enough sleep.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#37
post #5

I think I am having mental breakdown. & I don't know what to do about it!

If you're serious, get help. Get it from a counselor - it doesn't have to be a full psychologist. They should know if you need more than they can offer, and can refer you to someone who's a better fit.

I once told some one "I trust". but they just made fun of me.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#38
I worry about not being brave enough to quit my day job (developer) and develop the app that I KNOW would be successful if executed properly.

Also, not being able to build a family later if I fail in my next venture. I'm 31 and feel the pressure to build a family somehow.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#39
post #6

Not being able to make enough money. As I lived in extreme poverty in my childhood (and all that changed thanks to online MOOCs). I now work as remote SE and I have around $10k in savings. I am graduating with robotics and AI masters degree. But I always fear that I will lose all my money and be poor again. I literally prefer dying than being poor again. The worst days of my life, I couldn't have a proper childhood b…

I am in the same situation as you, but without the savings plus I'm unemployed for 2 years now.

But why would you say such thing? You had nothing as a child and used that as your strong motive, you have managed to save some money and if God forbid you lose your savings, do you think you won't be able to make them again? I doubt it!

You sound like a strong person, so don't be afraid of anything. Everything and I mean it, everything happens for a reason.

Re: Ask HN: What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about?

#40
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're serious, get help. Get it from a counselor - it doesn't have to be a full psychologist. They should know if you need more than they can offer, and can refer you to someone who's a better fit.

I once told some one "I trust". but they just made fun of me.

It is interesting how people react when you tell them something that is not part of the script they are used to hearing. Some laugh things like this off because they are uncomfortable with what you are telling them and have no other way to deal with it other than to joke.
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