Need more anxiety

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^this

Most prey animals are meant to live a life of enduring anxiety, because they would be eaten otherwise. Temple Grandin even argued (to whatever extent) that the pathological anxiety in autism is similar to the natural anxiety in animals. Anxiety makes you alert and aware, which you need to be around the clock in particular if you face permanent danger.

Arguably, humans aren't exactly prey animals, though they appear to live the most unnatural life. Being supplied with food, shelter, survival and all basic mammalian needs at full and virtually no cost/effort without threats or dangers - is a lot less normal for mammals than somewhat enduring anxiety.

It is not healthy to be in a constant state of anxiety...I get to experience that first hand, trust me you don't want a constant state of anxiety...it sucks. Too much of it interferes with your alertness and awareness, not to mention you're on guard even in safe situations which can interfere with your focus on things like talking to people, watching a movie or show, reading a book and a number of other things. Sure it makes you more alert about your surroundings but not activities you're trying to do because you're so distracted by feeling like you're in danger.

Anxiety can be useful, but you don't want to have an anxiety disorder......because then your just always anxious, rather then your mind using a normal level of anxiety where appropriate. Basically it screws things up so your brain gets the messege you're in danger and your body and mind responds accordingly thing is it can randomly happen for no reason which is very, very distracting and disabling in my opinion. Also it does not do much for ones self confidence feeling all pathetic and freaked out about nothing it actually makes one feel helpless and vulnerable.....I don't like feeling that way, but I can only speak for myself I suppose.

But I think I kind of see where you are going with this....I just feel trying to induce anxiety symptoms would cause you much more trouble than it's worth.

Last edited by Sweetleaf on 11 Jun 2012, 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've never heard of anxiety being used as a treatment for depression, an interesting idea, I do understand what you are trying to do, overcome inertia with the right amount of stress.

I'm beat if I know a sane way of achieving this,

Jason.

COMPAQ, I read your answer just now and it sounds to me like you are talking about pressure, not stress. Some people do better with pressure, a deadline to finish something, dire consequences if the task isn't done right, etc and some fall apart under pressure and do best in an environment that is very laid back.

Maybe if you set difficult goals for yourself or set a schedule and have it arranged so that if you are late with something or skip something, then there will be unpleasant consequences.

You could also volunteer to do something in your community, or to be the person to drive an elderly or handicapped person to the doctor, grocery store, etc. A situation where you are needed to be there and do something and someone is depending very much on you, can put pressure on you.

Is that the kind of thing you were meaning? My other reply was really just to be funny.

I know how it is like to have a lot of anxiety. I disagree that it is mostly distracting because you develop coping mechanisms in your life which again are supposed to distract you from the anxiety. The most prominent one is focusing on special interests. One strong impulse that overrules all others. Another coping mechanism is suppressing emotions at a deeper level which can at worst lead to alexithymia. More coping mechanisms are stimming and repetetive patters. All that can theoretically also be functional, though it is mostly recognised in its dysfunctional state.


I disagree that it is necessarily disabling. As I described in an earlier post, I somewhat learned to respond to anxiety by being more functional, as a kind of defense. I am very emotionally detached from myself, so just feeling helpless and vulnerable or pathetic, not self confident or freaked out about nothing won't make me that way, it is just emotions I would have and respond to rationally. Now it is just the opposite, I feel like nothing can touch me and I am invulnerable and there is no way to tune it down rationally like before because it is already at max and not signaling any drawbacks. In the past I felt that I must defend and respond appropriately, because I felt vulnerable, I must be less helpless by doing the thing I know to be right and low self-confidence made me do more for people because I must prove myself. Now all I get emotionally is more or less "OK, done", no matter what I wish to do which isn't very productive. I have no real social conscience, nothing else can motivate me emotionally to respect other people. Of course I can still rationally filter such that I act mostly correct, but certain things, such as keeping promises/agreements can require active action and in that regard the emotional component is missing.


I am basically just trying to restore it like it was before. It worked well before.

Yes, I lack pressure, but that isn't the core problem, since anxiety also causes more pressure. My work situation is such that I am not put under pressure, but I cannot really change that, neither would seeking a different job be appropriate.

I cannot really construct such consequences and I am already intuitively setting difficult goals, delaying things (and not able to finish work I am supposed to do for people ... ) and such.


That would maybe work somewhat, but it would also only work exclusively for the thing.


Thanks for all the replies so far.

I suppose that makes sense, provided you actually know how it was before and can thus restore it to that......usually when I end up feeling different than how I was and wanting to possibly go back to a previous state I cannot quite remember what exactly that previous state was.

I frequently find my anxiety to be severe and disabling but I couldn't really give any advice on how to cause it. Sometimes the littlest things set it off in me.

If you have a phobia you could expose yourself to that, it might create anxiety...if not though I'm not sure what would cause anxiety for you.

Well, in the past it was always that feeling of impending doom and I would have that unspecific anxiety that, if unattended, would be noticeable in irrational fears (like thrombosis could cause lung embolism minute, someone could enter the door and attack any minute, that I will certainly fail at X, what I perceive as reality could actually be an delusion at any point in time, micro-strokes, etc.). It would be there all the time, but it wasn't distracting although reoccuring. Also I could tune-out related emotional reasoning entirely and I would have periods where my mind would shut down like it is now or more and recover. Now it is nothing at all - more or less just the opposite. A normal level would be good, but I don't exactly know what level is normal. I am pushing myself now but it just doesn't really do much effectively. I realise that it wasn't normal before, but it also wasn't really an anxiety disorder, since it wasn't dysfunctional and not excessive such that I would lose control entirely. My social problems are still there because of autism and less anxiety doesn't mean less sensory exhaustion. Though it got slightly better socially, but that could also be because I am less exhausted daily overall.

Funny thing: I am entirely cured of slight short-sightedness since yesterday which is obviously caused by the Ginkgo supplements.
I also got some kind of short pulsating muscle or vein above my right ear (about where the parietal lobe is) for a few seconds every time the ginkgo supplements begin to have an effect. Whatever that is caused by, there shouldn't even be any muscle in that region afaik.

It sounds to me like you may have depersonalization or derealization disorder. If so, you have been using the anxiety to mask it and now that the anxiety is gone, you no longer feel alive because reality doesn't feel real to you. Normally, DP/DR is caused by excessive stimulation of the brain which causes it to shut down the sections responsible for feeling. This can come from depression, anxiety or traumatic stress. Supposedly, it is almost always temporary and your feeling of normalcy and existence returns after a time. I have it though, and that hasn't happened to me in over 20 years. It may be something worth discussing with your physician if this sounds familiar.