'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle • Hacker News Board

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#261

Post by lilyball » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 8:11 PM UTC

rv-de wrote: post #140

lilyball wrote: post #10

A few weeks ago I identified doomscrolling, particularly in bed, as a major source for my recent sleeping issues. As a result, I took a major step back from Twitter in general, and especially forced myself to stop reading Twitter in bed, or even in the late evenings. This produced an immediate improvement in both sleep quality and overall mood.

In my experience reading on the smartphone is an underrated cause of sleep issues. No matter what I read and no matter how dimmed and red my screen looks - it certainly helps - but it still impacts my sleep negatively. The desire to keep your mind busy even right before or actually while intending to fall asleep is also an indicator for other underlying issues. If I stop engaging in these distractions I get a chance…

Distractions in general hurt sleep. I'm not convinced using the phone is any different than other distractions. Of course, sleep researchers say that doing anything at all in bed other than sleep and sex is a bad idea, but distracting yourself while not in bed too isn't helpful.

Naturally, I ignore that advice and still use my phone in bed. But switching from Twitter to doing other stuff helped significantly, because I can monitor myself and put the phone down when I get calm enough and sleepy enough to sleep. Twitter was preventing me from getting calm/sleepy due to producing anxiety. I do still read Discord, which sometimes can have the Twitter problem depending on what people are talking about, but it helps me keep from feeling completely socially disconnected due to using Twitter less.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#262

Post by cutemonster » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 8:15 PM UTC

lostmsu wrote: post #96

zozin wrote: post #59

I deleted my Twitter a few months ago and my life is better for it. The need to be “in the know” was powerful, but I realized that I was consuming vast amounts of shallow information that resulted in shallow, uninformed opinions. I’ve been reading a lot more long-form articles and books; I’ve finished reading three books in the last month or so. When my Twitter habit was strong I would often start a book and give up…

The problem I've been facing recently is that long form also turns out to be a waste of time after you go through the most informational/influential pieces. Lots of the articles thread the same water, dive into totally unnecessary details, or just tell a story that, while fascinating, does not really give you any important new information, or bury it in a few casual sentences, never elaborating on them. For books it…

> same story told over and over again

I'm curious about how old you are. I think the problems you mention get worse, the more life experience one has?

Nowadays I think all 1st person shooters are mostly the same and get bored.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#263

Post by BTCOG » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 9:41 PM UTC

0xdeadb00f wrote: post #141

septimus111 wrote: post #126

I have started unsubscribing to any subreddit the moment I notice a post is generating a negative emotion. Nowadays my feed is mostly woodworking, cooking and photography.

I get it, I really do. Negativity is shit. The world is a messed up place. Sure, we shouldn't be bombarded by this fact day in and day out, but I personally think it's a good thing to remind yourself now and then how fucked up the world we live in can be - to maintain a sort of tether to the "reality" of the world's current messed up situation; it puts a lot into perspective. Any thoughts? Am I wrong for thinking thi…

I think the glaring issue these days of being constantly connected, is simply balance. I notice that many who are getting too anxious/stressed/nervous/scared are doing way too much of just reading news and doom, and doing almost absolutely no other healthy activities of healthy family meals, exercise, walking, etc. In all things, find balance.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#264

Post by sverona » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 10:41 PM UTC

abellerose wrote: post #260

sverona wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Therapy can help some trans folks, but what they really need is a community that supports them regardless of how well they pass. Trans passing messageboards are absolutely brutal. Brutal honesty is necessary for some, for whom passing is a matter of physical safety. But for a lot more, it can amount to self-harming. Any deviation from sometimes pseudoscientific models of "man" and "woman" is seen as a tell, an imperf…

> Therapy can help some trans folks, but what they really need is a community that supports them regardless of how well they pass. I don't know if I necessarily agree with that part. Therapy can help people starting out with blockers. Basically, young trans people that will pass but going through the social process is still difficult. Therapy isn't a universal solution and there is no proof that it works for everyone…

Nonbinary people are trans. Failure to assimilate != segregation.

I get the sense that you're a generation or so older than me and have consequently had to put up with a lot more medical gatekeeping than I did. If I'm right, I salute you. But I see nothing good in letting myself being defined by my dysphoria or in turning myself into what feels to me like a cardboard cutout of a woman just so I can feel like not a guy. Down that way all I see is more of what I had before I realized I was trans. No thank you.

Be well.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#265

Post by abellerose » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 11:22 PM UTC

sverona wrote: post #264

abellerose wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Therapy can help some trans folks, but what they really need is a community that supports them regardless of how well they pass. I don't know if I necessarily agree with that part. Therapy can help people starting out with blockers. Basically, young trans people that will pass but going through the social process is still difficult. Therapy isn't a universal solution and there is no proof that it works for everyone…

Nonbinary people are trans. Failure to assimilate != segregation. I get the sense that you're a generation or so older than me and have consequently had to put up with a lot more medical gatekeeping than I did. If I'm right, I salute you. But I see nothing good in letting myself being defined by my dysphoria or in turning myself into what feels to me like a cardboard cutout of a woman just so I can feel like not a gu…

What you were writing in your previous post is segregation.

How old are you when you were able to start HRT and did you get to go on blockers?

Your viewpoint of not letting yourself be defined by dysphoria is typically expressed by anyone able to start in early 20s or younger. I find your opinion perfectly fine for people in that foregoing situation. Starting that young has little in comparison with the previous generations' experiences and realities.

It shouldn't be a situation of forcing a universal ideology upon everyone. People gravitate to whatever solution works for them and it can be pleasant or unpleasant for others.

What I consider a cardboard cutout of a woman might just be a woman to you. In any case it doesn't matter because neither of us own anything that's just non-physical/judgement(s)/opinion(s).

People just get assigned a life and observe whatever story they get. No free will exists and obviously some people are in Heaven while others are in Hell. Life is predestined for whatever outcome. I think majority of trans people will have better outcomes after our generations die out.

edit: if you want to chat on discord whenever. I always enjoy chatting with trans people I meet online and learning their views compared to redefining my own. Alizée#4723

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#266

Post by Ensorceled » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 11:58 PM UTC

lm28469 wrote: post #170

Ensorceled wrote: post #169

There are a lot of suggestions for "long form" and "books" here. Are none of you keeping up with this pandemic and what your country/state/city recommended behaviours, laws and bylaws are?

None of that is posted on websites with "doomscrolling". Most countries publish their laws and recommendations on their own websites. People kept up with laws before twitter and reddit.

> None of that is posted on websites with "doomscrolling".

Officials of my city, province and country post regular COVID updates on Twitter.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#267

Post by bhupy » Mon, Jul 20, 2020, 11:59 PM UTC

dragonwriter wrote: post #232

bhupy wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A massive and obvious flaw in the "capitalism is slavery" argument is the fact that American agriculture became MORE profitable after slavery was abolished. After the Civil War ended, as soon as the labor costs had to be factored in, it became increasingly clear that cotton is a dumb crop to plant at the scale it was being planted. Planters moved to other crops that could be profitable. Slavery essentially held capit…

> A massive and obvious flaw in the "capitalism is slavery" argument is the fact that American agriculture became MORE profitable after slavery was abolished. “Capitalism” and “maximizing systemic, aggregate profitability” aren't even related concepts, much less so intimately linked that not doing the latter proves that something is not an element of the former.

And "slavery" and "private ownership of the means of production" are similarly orthogonal.

If the means of production were owned by the government, and the government forced its citizens to work uncompensated against their will, with no option to leave, could one then contend that socialism/communism is inextricably linked to slavery? No, that's absurd. Involuntary servitude can exist in any economic system, whether the means of production are owned by the people or by the government.

Slavery can only exist if the government actively enforces the ability for one to own another human being against their will. While it's absolutely correct that capitalism is rooted in private ownership of property, it by no means presupposes that humans MUST be considered property. On the other hand, capitalism can only really function in a world where all transactions are bilaterally voluntary, which is anathema to slavery.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#268

Post by prawn » Tue, Jul 21, 2020, 12:15 AM UTC

ssully wrote: post #204

prawn wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's my favourite book but it's hardly easy-reading for many people. It's grim and would challenge a few people I bet. I could read writing like that about the desert forever, but not everyone is so inclined. I think everyone should read it, but I can also appreciate an "easy there, Satan"-type joke about it!

Yeah, I've read most of Cormac McCarthy's books, but I've never gotten past the first 50 pages of Blood Meridian. Even compared to Child of God, it just hit me in the wrong ways whenever I read it. Still hoping to get to it someday though!

Commit to it. It's sublime.

Last one I read was Suttree while over in the US camping in the South-East.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#269

Post by scruple » Tue, Jul 21, 2020, 12:49 AM UTC

buzzert wrote: post #256

koheripbal wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the world really worse than ever?

No. But it certainly generates clicks, doesn’t it.

The world has it's priorities completely fucking backwards, is the problem. We've got a million dead every year in Africa because of AIDS. It's a completely preventable problem. No one seems to give a shit. Over 100k dead from covid-19 in a few shorts months. But, this weekend, I was bombarded with "news" about Trader Joe's "racist packaging." What the fuck?

Maybe I'm cynical but this most of the news that I come across lately looks like standard election cycle bullshit to me.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#270

Post by bickeringyokel » Tue, Jul 21, 2020, 12:50 AM UTC

throwanem wrote: post #245

bickeringyokel wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's literally incompatible with the standard definition of the word capitalism. The fact that slaves are not free means that exchanges couldn't possibly be voluntary.

Why would that be an impediment? As far as I understand it, the principle of voluntary exchange relates to buyers and sellers in a market, not to the commodity in which the market is made. The moral enormity inherent in chattel slavery, namely that it reduces human beings to a commodity in which a market is then made, has nothing that I can see to do with whether such a market can operate in an economy run on capital…

After reconsidering my statement, I think you may be correct. Slavery can be capitalistic if you only include the buyers and sellers as members of the market.

"Slavery is capitalism" is most certainly wrong though.

"Capitalism encourages slavery in plantation economies" would be a better argument, but might also be refuted given the gradual abolishing of slavery despite the continuance of capitalism.