Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 137 posts

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#31

Post by riffraff »

not constant, but I do suffer from some anxiety. First, it might be useful for you to look for professional help.

Then, some things that were helpful for me, and may be helpful for you, ymmv:

- check your health: maybe you suffer from physical issues, such as high blood pressure, and you can help it with pills, which will help with anxiety.

- drop coffee and sigarettes, reduce alcool, eat more vegetables and fruit; it's weird, but it helps.

- physical activity; I spend 1-2 hours every morning a day walking (or running), it's good for both body and mind.

- daily meditation; get a test account on headspace, try it for a week.

- face anxiety-inducing things ASAP; E.g. if you are stressed cause you wrote shitty code, just tell your boss/colleagues immediately; if you fucked up something with your partner, tell them etc. Once bad things happened, you will stop worrying about what might happen.

- "hedge" your anxiety-inducing problems; if you are worried about your family surviving without you, set up life insurance. If you feel incompetente and unable to find another job, spend some time studying something new, and try applying for another position, even if you don't want to take it, you may be able to find something else, or learn what's missing.

Good luck, anxiety sucks.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#32

Post by alexanderthe- »

I would start meditating, it will help you on being able to identify and intervene on repetitive, negative thought patterns (rumination).

Give yourself 10 minutes everyday to train your mind. I use the app Waking up.

Release anxiety through some physical exercise several days per week, ideally something you enjoy.

Every day, build some grit by doing something difficult - the fact that you’ve done it, and continue to do it, will become a foundation for overcoming resistance. I like to take a cold shower every morning, which seems silly until you step up to the faucet and have to pony up and actually do it.

Read books, so few people read anymore, those who do are able to absorb the distilled wisdom of many lifetimes.

Lastly, you are not alone, I don’t know how to create a bullet list here either. You are also not alone in your struggles, we are all human and suffer in our ways. Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#33

Post by atomashpolskiy »

chobeat wrote: post #27

Read Mark Fisher

+1 (and he makes a lot of references to XX century philosophers, which are worth exploring).

Also watch Adam Curtis. Read Noam Chomsky. Michael O'Church has been writing very interesting stuff for many years.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#34

Post by geowwy »

disturbed wrote: post #24
amiga_500 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second the point on financial security. I'm successful, I have a good job at a good company, earning a good wage. I'm in charge of lots of systems and people. But I'm not financially secure, because land prices have detached from wages. You can't work your way out of this hole. That is not your fault. Why are there so many jobs in industries we hate (gambling, finance, advertising). Because the west is a financialize…

Thanks for taking time... I live in south-eastern Europe. Gambling/betting here is rampant. I feel like I’m contributing to the problem, but can’t seem to find the way out.

You hate your job, but you feel forced to do it.

And you've been like that for 13 years! Even slaves in the Bible were released after 7 years.

No wonder you're miserable. No one can do something they hate for that long without having their soul crushed.

Sorry to the people here, but I don't think meditation/diet/exercise will fix this problem.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#35

Post by Moru »

farleykr wrote: post #17

I've struggled with a similar situation - anxiety stemming from childhood trauma - for a long time. The things that help me the most are: 1. Basic self care: get enough sleep (~8 hours a night), eat plenty of healthy food and cut out as much junk food as possible, and make time for doing something you enjoy each day, even if it's only for 20-30 minutes. 2. Therapy: Either straightforward counseling or something more…

4. Throw away all social media. Don't get on the "look how successfull/beautiful she/he is!"-bandwagon. That only leads to misserable thoughts. This probably is a big part of the burn out-looking syndroms we keep seeing on youth

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#36

Post by craigr1972 »

owurkan wrote: post #26
East-Link wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nowhere I could easily swim, would showering in cold water help?

Cold showers can be a way to regain control through positive morning priming. I wrote this how-to a few years ago: https://medium.com/the-mission/a-year-of-cold-showers-662ec6...

What a great article !

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#37

Post by clmul »

op00to wrote: post #11

I read a lot of self damage in your message. I have similar issues. I don’t have advice, but try to not say such damaging things about yourself. Also maybe smoke some weed.

Just don't do that, using recreational drugs is never a solution for anything!

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#38

Post by sidcool »

I feel your pain. My advice would be to consult a professional. There is nothing wrong in medication and therapy. It helps many people. And then, like others mentioned, go for exercise and meditation. CBT/REBT also help. Idea is the to address immediate panic and anxiety by Medication and treating long term with meditation and therapy. More than curing the condition, you would need to manage it.

It's hard but possible. You can be in a very different state of the mind within 6 months. So do not lose hope. DM me if you need further info. Good luck!

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#39

Post by disturbed »

farleykr wrote: post #17

I've struggled with a similar situation - anxiety stemming from childhood trauma - for a long time. The things that help me the most are: 1. Basic self care: get enough sleep (~8 hours a night), eat plenty of healthy food and cut out as much junk food as possible, and make time for doing something you enjoy each day, even if it's only for 20-30 minutes. 2. Therapy: Either straightforward counseling or something more…

Thank you. I have been drinking more lately. I guess I should stop. I find it hard to enjoy anything. I was thinking about why is that. I found I don’t like myself at all and I guess deep inside I think I don’t deserve to feel joy. My therapist says I’m emotionally immature. She’s probably right.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone else in constant anxiety and how do you cope?

#40

Post by wahyuadi »

disturbed wrote: post #13
fros1y wrote: post #6

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or other treatment modalities) and, maybe, medication! This sounds like the desperation of anxiety and depression. But there is hope! Untreated, it can be a killer, so remember 1-800-273-TALK for moments of crisis.

Thank you for your concern. I am seeing a therapist. I don’t think I’m in any kind of crisis though.

Seeing a therapist is the first important step, congratulations!

Please remember that it may take some time for you to find the answers out of your situation, including to grasp everything your therapist had explained. Please give yourself permission to let those discussion / feedback sink in, no need to rush. Trying to speed things up will only make it worse, as my experience during my post-grad time shows.

Besides, I can't stress enough the importance of physical exercise. I wish I had practised yoga back then. Or swimming as others had suggested.

I only relied on meditation and jogging, which was not effective given the gloomy sky of Edinburgh that let the bad feeling coming back even during post-running cooling down. Running made me feel a little better, but only for a short while. You need to try any exercise that work for you. Running with your friends, I think will, also help.

Now that I practised yoga for almost 2 years, and am learning piano from scratch, I feel much better though that unwanted feeling sometimes keeps coming back, but at least I can slowly win the battle.

Hope this helps.

Post reply on HN