Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

news.ycombinator.com

31–40 of 120 posts

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#31
Sorry you're going through this. It's a rough ride, and recognizing the loop doesn't make it any easier to break.

You mention not wanting a "cure all" but just support. I'd like to offer you my hypothesis that this is part of your problem. You should be looking for a cure, not a palliative. And there is a cure, but it is a difficult one (and not without its rewards).

What's the cure? Others have mentioned meditation, and I second that. Meditation acts as a kind of "off" button for incessant thoughts that trigger each other. By letting concrete reality totally consume your awareness for even one instant, you squeeze out the self-reflective consciousness that is a key part of that loop, and weaken it. (Your body is a key part of this loop at two points: first as a source of "concrete reality" sensations, and second as a kind of residue of emotional reaction.)

Success on this path requires the ability to sit still and not get up even if you think of something better to do, or because you are bored, or because your butt hurts, or because you're anxious.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#32
post #2

I've struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. I used to approached it with a fight or flight relationship. As I shifted my ways of identifying with it, I was able to turn that fight/hostility into a gentle dance. From there I was able to start taking the small steps that would help me have better control of it. Start now, or do I let it manifest further for my future self? Here are some things that have…

Meditation/mindfulness and good sleep hygiene worked wonders for me too. As a grad student, I also suffered with anxiety due to imposter syndrome. Here is my shift in perception that helped me.

Stop taking yourself too seriously. Listen to the stories you tell yourself about you. When your mind tells you that you don't know anything, or how come you didn't achieve anything "significant" if you are so talented. Will you ever say this to your friend? Or to a child? Your relationship with yourself should never be worse than what you have with an acquaintance because you don't really know yourself. I was constantly surprised by myself when I started inspecting myself.

Start taking yourself just as a streched-out child. Life is too short anyways. Find the innocence that is there in you. No matter how many times you fail or succeed, you still love you.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#33
post #21

Used to be anxious, now I'm not. This stuff may or may not apply to you. Take it as one anecdotal experience. First, are these in line?: * Sleep * Diet * Exercise * Meditation/relaxation time Whenever I feel anxious now, I notice I've let one or more of those slide. Anxiety resolves when I fix them. Second, I used to be anxious for the following reasons: * I was socially awkward with few friends. * I was bad at readi…

We have data now to support the sleep-stress relationship. Hope to publish that soon. Now sleep is the most important thing I do every day. Then exercise. Then work.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#35
> I'm not seeking a pharmaceutical or therapeutic recommendation.

Is that because you're already in therapy? If so, skip the following; if not why not seek out a good therapist who can guide you in CBT, or something similar. What you're describing is common, therapists have super good tools and strategies to help you with it. Therapy is no big deal; no different from having a personal trainer at the gym!

On the point of feeling like an imposter, or feeling afraid of looking stupid: there are a handful of people who I think of who are super smart and accomplished, and yet humble and gracious, and not afraid admit to not knowing something, etc.; trying to keep them in mind and emulate them has I think helped me with some of the issues you mention.

Take care. I'm sure you'll be able to find some strategies that work for you.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#36

I know you said you're not seeking a therapeutic recommendation, but if you were my friend then I would buy you a beer and gently recommend seeing a therapist. I saw one for a year after I got divorced, and she was extremely helpful in teaching me how to get out of negative-feedback thought loops, which sounds like it might be useful for you, too. I was originally nervous about signing up for a lifetime of having som…

I do appreciate the suggestion, and I wholeheartedly agree that therapy can be a powerful tool. As can medication! I've had mixed success with both. I wanted to take that off the table for this particular discussion, as a thread filled with "seek professional help" didn't seem like it'd be a useful one for the community (or for me).

Keep in mind that confiding in and talking with close friends is a good form of therapy.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#37
I have friends and family members that suffer anxiety ranging from minor to debilitating anxiety where they feel like they cannot function. As davidkim suggests below, meditation, sleep and even exercise can help alleviate some of the symptoms but you also have to know that anxiety/OCD can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and you simply cannot wish it away. Medicine may be appropriate in your situation and so I would start with a consultation with your doctor. No one should suffer and miss out on the wonders of life.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#38
I have anxiety and I have quit 2 jobs when asked to assume tech lead role because the first 2 times I have taken on tech lead roles, I ended up in the hospital and started alienating my family due to depression, respectively.

I can handle the toughest sr. engineer assignment, but I can't handle the most basic tech lead stuff where responsibility for other people's work is involved. I have since learned to hold back my performance and excel just enough to keep my job, but not so much that I'll be considered for a "promotion" to tech lead or management.

I am just a programmer. I am content with that and aspire to be nothing more career-wise. I call myself a programmer despite the popular advice not to do so here. My life is better and I am happier that way.

Re: Ask HN: Anxiety is limiting my enjoyment of a wonderful career. Can you relate?

#40

I am in the same position. I am CTO of a startup in London. On paper, everything is wonderful. These past few months the company has quadrupled in size. We're in swanky offices. My commute is short - from the apartment that I own with my girlfriend who I love. Anxiety is a constant demon hanging over me. I fell it every day. Not only that but feelings of deep self-loathing. Sometimes it paralyses me. I can't work for…

Are you getting enough sleep and exercise? Meditation? The brain is a muscle like any other.
Post reply on HN