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helldalgo comments on Anxiety and Rationality - Less Wrong Discussion
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Comments (31)
An important comment that I couldn't fit in the post, and that I may expand on later: the framework here may closely resemble other frameworks without Less Wrong jargon. I know that, and it's fine. I firmly believe that people should seek recovery or coping mechanisms in an environment where they are comfortable. I am comfortable here, the jargon clicks with my brain, and I understand the conversation here at a higher level than anywhere else. I am safe here and this is the framework I like. If you like it here, this may help you. At the very least, it's a case study on "using LW for mental health."
Yup, this is very similar to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. But that just shows that the technique works, and I totally endorse the sentiment of "getting people to do this is the most important thing, and if dressing it up in LW language gets people to do it, then great".
I actually just recently made a small flowchart about "how to react to (negative) emotions" that's pretty similar, though aimed at all emotional reactions, not just irrationally anxiety-inducing ones. Someone may find it useful. ("Adjust belief" basically refers to the kind of techniques in your post, and overlaps heavily with "test belief".)
The first part of the flowchart (Emotion --> Action Required --> No --> Notice and let it go) reminds me a bit of my reading and practice of meditation. It is quite revealing when you are able to sit and "watch" your thoughts/feelings. The flow of emotion/cognition can be very chaotic.
I don't meditate as often currently, but I do use the technique of quickly observing the thoughts and feelings I can recognize at any given moment and making a rational choice to ignore the ones that are not helpful or are out of my control. I find it a useful habit.
Yeah, that part's explicitly intended to be done using something like mindfulness techniques.
I think there should be a part for just resting. This could be a very mentally exhausting loop
What do you mean? It's seems obvious to me that you could rest anywhere during the process. There are no time limits implied.
You're not the first one who has said something similar, which makes me feel that the flowchart gives a slightly misleading impression (but I don't know how to fix that). Because for me personally, the actual mental process involved in "following" it is very quick and effortless - I get an emotion, I focus on it, and most of the time I know almost instantly what the appropriate action is. It's the opposite of exhausting, because instead of having to struggle against every single flash of negative emotion I get, most of the time I just automatically go "okay, don't need to do anything here, it's okay to have this feeling" and that's it.
Admittedly, if you don't yet have the skill for doing that, it might take more effort and practice. I'm not sure of exactly what the required skill is, but I think that having practiced mindfulness meditation has a big role in it.
In some ways, coping mechanisms are kind of like hiccup cures: whatever happens between "feeling crappy" and "feeling better" is said to "work." And many people try an algorithmic approach, only to hate it. The goal is to find something that genuinely reduces the time between feeling crappy and feeling better. That looks different for many people, and most people need multiple techniques.
I like the flowchart; it's similar to how I got over my road rage issues.