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[GodofWhimsy]

Many renowned philosophers, and "spiritual gurus" (whom personally I don't place much faith in) discuss the concept of stepping away from one's thoughts. To come to the realisation that these negative thoughts (stressing over possible outcomes, focusing on bad past experiences, etc.) are tied to one's mind and that we have the ability to recognise, then "step away". And that this may be paramount in conquering personal anxiety and self-doubt issues. Recognise, then step away.

Personally, I take some issue with this philosophy. For me recognising that I'm in a situation that is making me experience a negative tread of thought can actually worsen the experience. Because well, now I'm completely aware that I'm stressing/being anxious. That may in turn cause me to focus on it even more. "Stepping away" feels more like lying to myself about how I'm perceiving my situation right now.

What're your thoughts on this Gaf? do you experience difficulty with negative thought? Sorry if this is considered too "deep" or boring for a thread topic.

(And yes I'm aware that I fucked up and posted this very same thread in the gaming forum. I'm pretty incompetent like that. Mods delete plz).

 

[nemiroff]

I have done some great quality courses/classes about anxiety and mindfulness. In my experience it's now the only logical way to cope with negative thought, stress, anxiety.

The courses were extremely detailed though, very heavy stuff, full days of going through hundreds and hundreds of pages of biochemistry, brain anatomy, psychology... But it all made perfect sense in the end. It's a fantastic fundament that in my opinion everyone should learn already in school.

I use mindfulness techniques every day, which involves "stepping away" (we never called it that in the courses though), and it really does work.

 

[Tesseract]

thoughts tend toward virtuous or vicious loops, the strength of the spiral depends on your existential resilience and willpower

 

[-Arcadia-]

It's 2020. Everyone sane in this world has trouble stepping away from negative thoughts.

Interesting topic that I was just talking about in PMs, though. I could genuinely use a little bit of help with it.

 

[GodofWhimsy]

I have done some great quality courses/classes about anxiety and mindfulness. In my experience it's now the only logical way to cope with negative thought, stress, anxiety.

The courses were extremely detailed though, very heavy stuff, full days of going through hundreds and hundreds of pages of biochemistry, brain anatomy, psychology... But it all made perfect sense in the end. It's a fantastic fundament that in my opinion everyone should learn already in school.

I use mindfulness techniques every day, which involves "stepping away" (we never called it that in the courses though), and it really does work.

I do believe some form of mental preparation for post-school life should be a mandatory staple in every kid/young adult's education. Hell, that mental preparation may come in handy for just getting through education.

 

[bender]

I let them eat me like cancer.

 

[Tesseract]

this may help some of you, stoicism goes a long way in these trying times

 

[Xaero Gravity]

I have the unfortunate habit of dwelling on things that piss me off or upset me, which in turn just ends up making things worse.

 

[Halo is Back]

 

[Jack Peterson]

Negative thoughts have a purpose, so I don't really believe in stepping away from them...

In general, I'm a believer in external causes for negative mental symptoms rather than "chemical imbalances" or otherwise random genetic variables..

Basically, if you're anxious you're probably anxious for a good reason. If you're depressed, maybe your life sucks and you need to improve it.

Listen to what your brain is telling you, don't run away from it..

 

[-Arcadia-]

Negative thoughts have a purpose, so I don't really believe in stepping away from them...

In general, I'm a believer in external causes for negative mental symptoms rather than "chemical imbalances" or otherwise random genetic variables..

Basically, if you're anxious you're probably anxious for a good reason. If you're depressed, maybe your life sucks and you need to improve it.

Listen to what your brain is telling you, don't run away from it..

Agreed, but often these are long-term problems, and can't be solved overnight. As such, there needs to be a way to compartmentalize, or put something aside for the moment, so you can live your life without everything grinding to a halt.