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“Have you tried just not having anxiety?”
Big “just stop being sad” energy
this is why psychiatrists are useless most of the time–they’ve never experienced what you’re going through.
‘just have fun’ lol.
the entire reason you have anxiety is that you’re incapable of achieving that mindset. it takes A LOT of work to undo all those crossed wires.
this advice is like dumb shit in a hollywood movie, like when good will hunting is cured because he gets a hug and someone tells him that ‘it’s not your fault.’
I think it is unironically very funny that you used a toxic positivity Instagram post from “mr.psychologist” (not even a doctor, mind you) as evidence that psychiatrists (also not psychologists) are useless. Psychiatrists are the people who just diagnose your disorders and their role in treatment is largely oriented around referrals or pharmacology.
Psychotherapists, which is what I reckon you mean, are in fact quite skilled at building up that “mindset,” through empathy and practice, but they of course have to actually be psychotherapists for it to work. Yes, it is a lot of work. Many people seek out psychoyherapy and arrive at a social worker/counsellor that is trained more to keep you from killing yourself than mending long-term pathological patterns or psychological disorders.
I feel like this comment indicates a need to seek out a psychotherapist if you have the means to do so, it is worth it if you give it a shot.
I have a suspicion I would not be taking this blood pressure medication if my anxiety didn’t spike whenever I go to the doctor
I guess I don’t want to shit on this advice too much, for non-pathological anxiety it can be helpful. Reframing situations to be less intense is a useful tool in your mental toolbox to alleviate stress.
However, pathological anxiety isn’t really related to the importance ascribed to a situation. Here’s some things that cause my anxiety to be an issue:
- Self-flagellation - Let’s spend the afternoon, evening and all night reliving every mistake I’ve made since childhood.
- Ego dystonic intrusive thoughts - “If you cut your throat with a sharp enough knife it won’t even hurt.” Thanks brain, very helpful.
- Nothing at all - “Hey who wants to have a panic attack for absolutely no reason? You do!”
I don’t think “Do it for fun” is amazing advice for these situations. I’ll stick to my meds and my doctor’s advice.
>Just don’t worry bro lol
Thanks I’m cured
Yeah this shit is why I rely on chemical help instead of paying these kranks.
nah a shift in perspective is how you truly heal, chemical help makes you reliant. it’s important to start with it so you can rest from constant anxiety, but it’s not going to fix you, you fix you
and what that guy is saying is a valid method of dealing with anxiety that has allowed me to heal step by step
Well put. I understand dismissing the OP as being just another “just be happy” post, but I’ve learned from experience that even a slight change in perspective and mindset can make a world of difference. Will it make all your problems go away? Nope. Can it equip you to manage your problems a little better? Absolutely. Therapy exists for a reason.
Oh no, using a chemical to fix a chemical imbalance makes you reliant. I’m already reliant on a bunch of pharmaceuticals, why is it only ones for mental health that are so maligned? It’s not a fucking „strength of will“ thing and people like you are why I suffered for decades thinking it was just a matter of mindset.
I wish I knew. I spoke to my brother about this a while ago, and told him I’d never gone to a doctor because I always thought it was a “strength of will” thing. He told me that was insane. First thing he did was get to a doctor and get prescribed. The thought never crossed my mind.
Similarly I was watching some show with my partner and this guy in the show talks derisively to he daughter: “I bought you your anti-di-pressants, what more do you want?” And he’s stressing the word, like he believes it’s some kinda party drug. I think that mentality is a very real thing and hits other areas like birth control too. “I didn’t have this for ME and thus I resent you taking the easy way out!” seems to be the thought process.
dang, you didn’t even get halfway through what i wrote, that’s all i’ll reply with as i can’t be bothered to answer to an argument i already adressed
It was barely two paragraphs, it wasn’t that hard
and yet, they clocked out after the first sentence
… No, it just wasn’t the “whoa” moment that you thought it was
reading comprehension online is sad
That’s because you’re giving dangerous advice full of pop science platitudes. What exactly do you think you’re „healing“?
And from a perspective of “this worked for me, it must work for everybody else, anybody who doesn’t try this is a fool”
i literally replied to someone who presented their opinion of psychologists being useless and “just give me meds” with my opposing opinion of “actually a change in perspective worked for me”. why are you ignoring that guy’s “this worked for me, it must work for everybody else, and anybody who doesn’t try this is a full” huh?
Because they were saying “this one way approach didn’t work for me” and they didn’t like it being presented as it was. And they described their approach as what worked for them. They never said that their approach worked for everybody.
You said “you fix you”, while they were saying they couldn’t and needed external help. You seem to have a problem with reading comprehension yourself
pop science? my guy, why do you think psychologists exist? to be prescription dispensers? the most common way people get better is by first using meds to ease their chemical imbalance, and then also attending therapy or otherwise working on themselves so they don’t have to use meds
and you’re healing your bloody psyche. why do you want to be on meds for the rest of your life so much?
This is free advice from a medium expensive counselor who mostly works on insurance reimbursement:
Most modern pop psychology is finding a way to repackage “try not to think about it” into more palatable terms because a great deal of “mental illness” is directly attributable to systemic issues that have no end in sight
systemic issues that have no end in sight
Some would disagree, just ask scientists how long the current trajectory can remain.
It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.
It’s more that capitalism is causing “the end of the world”. Between now and the total deaths of all life on earth, I remain hopeful that there will be some positive systematic change before it gets too far.
My moneys on us getting revenge during the death rattle.
The US is normal is now as old as ((the average lifespan of a civilization))
We can hope, and make our moves for something better
They’ll more or less coincide.
That was probably true about the divine right of kings, hundreds of years ago. Things change
It changed because private citizens were able to join together and accumulate enough wealth to match the private treasuries of a local monarch and fund private armies to act as revolutionary elements that threatened their local monarch with overwhelmingly disproportionate strength and forced them to capitulate.
Yes, because science can be used to show measurable ways the world is actively ending right now.
“Doc, I feel like I’m always being watched and the world is hurdling towards ruin”
1976: you’re paranoid and crazy
2026: sometimes being well-informed can be mentally taxing and you need to take a break
Yeah, so much of that fringe pseudosciency pop psychology self-help stuff says shit like “don’t be a victim” and that just has “erasure of systemic violence” written all over it.
It’s so concerning how many people seem to be eating that shit up though. I think it has a lot to do with the large-scale drop-off of empathy we’re seeing. “Toxic positivity” does that.
This shit is being pushed by the marketing industry working for profit, not clinical researchers trying to improve patient outcomes. It drives me insane to see it catching on…
I’m not a therapist but I’ve certainly visted more than my share.
“try not to think about it” is pretty much the antithesis of modern therapy.
directly attributable to systemic issues that have no end in sight
this part is true.
Broadly there are several potential solutions:
Firstly, changing the way that we think about events. If my company is insolvent would that mean I’m a bad business person or would it mean the economy is a mess. This is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - changing the behavior of our thought processes.
Secondly, accepting that things might go wrong and not being paralysed by that fear. My company might become insolvent, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if it did, I’m going to take action to mitigate that problem. This is Acceptance Commitment Therapy - accepting the risk of bad things and committing to some kind of action.
Thirdly, living in the moment, observing thoughts both positive and negative coming and going. This is mindfulness.
In summary, anxiety or worry is a healthy and normal part of human existence. We’re hard wired to avoid threats and we do that by foreseeing risks and planning around them. Trying not to worry is how the healthy and normal experience becomes debilitating.
I’m sure a real therapist will be along any moment to tell me all about how wrong my summary is. I’m ok with that.
I think the advice is true for things you can not realistically change. But finding out if you can’t change it or why something is bothering you is key here.
For me existential dread was a sign of my body to take the next step and start a family.
I think the post is great advice not communicated clearly.
Don’t try making yourself believe important things are unimportant, practice.
Apply for a job you don’t want or need. Get documents when you’re already qualified for a fast track and could skip at any time. Do the long procedure just to see if it was possible had the other ways not worked out.
Have something changed that really doesn’t matter.This is calling for bureaucracy training.
because a great deal of “mental illness” is directly attributable to systemic issues that have no end in sight
But absolutely nothing in the screenshot is attributable to systemic issues that have no end in sight 🤔 Anxiety around the things he listed can literally be cured through just doing them, aka exposure
A job interview that determines if you will have food this week is a systemic issue
I’m sure the end of most of these issues is in sight through the right scope!
What if I don’t think those things are fun?
Have anxiety? Try having fun instead!
Cool.
If you’re anxious. just relax.
If you’re depressed, just cheer up.
You’re so generous giving out advice like that for free.
Wait until you hear their advice to poor people it’ll blow your mind
Just get Guillotines?
You just have to eat them all, easy.
Do you have advice for porcelain dolls and spoiled princes too?
It will
blowchop off your mind.(For the sake of consistency)
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead.
True story.
Someone literally said this to me once about depression. “That’s what I did and it worked for me, so if you’re still depressed it’s because you’re choosing to be.”
I almost chose to Jazz-yeet him out of the house.
Anyway, it turned out the main reason for my depression was that I had been surrounded by toxic assholes for too long. Things vastly improved when I chose to change that so I guess it did work in a roundabout way.
If you’ve broken your leg, just walk it off.
“Stop being depressed.”
I got so tired of this “advice” back when I still thought talking to others about my problems could be fruitful…
For more psychology you have to pay me 1000 bucks
It’s sound advice and if someone can’t incorporate it into their lives, they need to see a psychiatrist for medication. The psychologist will send you to one if they think you can’t get there with out meds.
Psychotherapy shouldn’t be about “getting advice”. It’s about finding the “knots” deep down in your psycho-emotional structure which are causing your problems. But maybe I am just too much of a psychoanalysis fanboy.
I’m supporting my family for fun!
Dreading that colonoscopy? Woo-hoo! Make it party time!
What kind of freaking sociopath would go on a job interview for fun?
Companies often do job interviews “for fun”, since they already have a candidate and you have no chance from the beginning.
One time, in the days before covid, I had an audition that I had to drive 4 hours to get to. I was scheduled at the end of the day, and I could tell that they had already made up their mind, and that they were just using this particular audition to have fun and fuck with me.
All I could do was make sure they didn’t have fun. Long ass drive home, though
Its the HR special… Bonus points if that “candidate” is an AI agent.
If I was independently wealthy and didn’t need a job, I still wouldn’t go to a job interview for fun.
Uhm, I actually did that just recently. Earlier this year my current employer decided to close my department until end of year so I had to start looking for a new job but without a very strict deadline. I applied for a job but didn’t think I’d be invited for an interview. I DID get invited, went to the interview with the attitude “Ah, let’s see, I don’t think, they’ll hire me, but it is a fun learning experience”. They didn’t hire me but gave me the feedback that I was a good candidate overall but it showed that I wasn’t prepared at all and that I should apply later this year because they would open more positions. They did open more positions, I applied again, did a Hospitation, prepared properly and actually got the job in the end.
A Circus clown?
Not with that attitude! /s
So I’ve tried to this and it doesn’t work.
I tried going to work for fun, but it wasn’t and I suspect that if I leave early that won’t be fun either.
