Mental health / rant thread

One thing that you can do is follow podcasts or read about specific things such as:

- Ego defense mechanisms - Emotions from the point of view of neuroscientists

OCD, ADHD, Depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia. If you go beyond the lists of symptoms and look for environmental causes you are likely to find one or more little details that may sound familiar to you.

I wasn't suggesting self-diagnose. I was saying that reading about emotions and how they relate to mental health. The diseases are often missunderstood because ppl have missconceptions and understanding the missconception helps to have a better understanding of emotions in general.

Everyone can have obsessions, lack of focus, bad mood, bad days, etc. They are naturally occuring in most cases. Diseases happen when those are in extreme levels, both high or low.

If you're 17, you're still in your mid teens. Your brain doesn't stop developing until you're around 25. Your body and brain chemistry is booming right now, and it's a complicated age for everyone, you're not a special flower struggling with life. We all go through that. Some people get heavy insomnia, others sleep for 18 hours in that age. It doesn't necessarily mean you're fucked for life... you're just turning into an adult. You'll be alright.

There's no reason you should listen to me, but what I would do is to revert back to stuff that a 17 year old should do and has been doing for millions of years. Go out and get sun in your skin, exercise and/or do sports, lift weights, eat natural foods and stay away from processed shit, drink water, socialize, find a community, stay away from the fucking news, get laid, be with friends, be a rebel, read books about stuff you like and finally.... Create! Whatever that is, just create something, even if it's just a few lines in your personal journal.

I sense every teenager nowadays keeps trying to find "happiness", and that's really weird to me. Nature has no concept of happiness, stop! Find something that gives you meaning instead. We're all so addicted to the "likes" we get on social media our brains are flooded by excess dopamine, a natural drug better saved for rewarding hard work and other achievements. Focus on what is within your power.

Be well!

For me the pandemic was a major puch in the gut. I would have been in a very different place right now had it not been for COVID. Even before the pandemic, mapping had grown to seem like sort of an escapist thing so I had decided to take a break from it and make some major life changes to figure out why I am so inefficient at inter-humous relationships.

So here I am, all out of my comfort zone and walking through this swamp, fighting unseen creatures, stress levels through the roof, when all of a sudden the sky gets dark.

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And then the COVID storm hits and trips me over. I manage to crawl my way underneath the roots of a tree, where I feel relatively safe. Problem is, now I can't go forward. The swamp is eating up my legs, mosquitoes laying eggs inside my ears while I sleep, and the eggs are hatching faster because of the moisture from the storm. Also the wind was brushing up swamp water onto my legs, which was catalyzing with my peasant clothes. I felt trapped and my condition was getting worse. I thought to myself, my legs are under-leveled, I cannot resist the entropy. Then I heard a voice from the sky and I looked up.

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"You have some fine legs, son! You are on teh path to cerebro-fuego". "Thank you, Mufasa! You are truly as brilliant as they say!" This elevated my spirit and I decided to keep looking for whatever the hell he was hinting at. I would rest to gather up strength during the day and then leave at night to hunt for small swamp creatures. Then one night I hear footsteps, I look outside and I see the legendary meat-man. He was traversing the swamp with such elegance as if he was skating on ice. Enthralled by his magestic movements, I called him out and asked, "legendary meat-man, how come the swamp is not eating up your legs?". To this he replied, "It is because my legs are covered in meat, young padowan. You should try this too."

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I thanked him and the next day I did what he'd suggested. (he also taught me martial arts) I covered my legs with meat and voalha! I could now walk through the swamp as if it wasn't there. This is great, I thought. At this rate I can make up the time I lost hiding from the COVID storm. So I kept walking until I reached the swamp cave. And in the swamp cave lay the swampnauceros.

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It was sleeping and I was all pumped up, adrenaline drooling out of my mouth, my muscles all tensed up, so I pull out my knife and charge directly at it. Then out of nowhere comes legendary meat-man. He speaks to me, "Yo, amigo, stand back! This is not you amigo, you cannot defeat this beast at your level, even though you know karate! You have to visit mountain level and acquire the money printer from the traveling salesman so you can shoot the beast with money. "But, mr. meat-man! How can I find this traveling salesman?" "Oh, you'll eventually find him, the mountain level is walled-off. He can't run away." "Okay, mister meat-man. Thank you for your precious advice! Bye-bye!"

So here I am trekking through the forest, approaching the village at the root of the mountain-level. In the village I find a guide, named Fuejo. And naturally the first thing I ask him is, "Fuejo, man, why be the mountain so green and mushy?" "Oh, you don't know, amigo? The mountain is covered in swamp!" "This swamp...it's unlike other swamp. It's very thick and hostile, it won't let just anyone through." Stealthily, I looked around the bar to ensure no cats were around, then I spread my coat for Fuejo to see my meat armor. "Oh, I've seen this type of armor. It will protect you, but it is not enough. Here, take this..." He passed me a dirty jar with some white powder in it "What is this?" "It's called diezo-diazo. You snort it up your ass and it will inflate your armor." "Is this safe to use", I asked him. "Well, if you take too much, your armor will explode and cover you with blood, which will attract the swamp sharks."

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So here I am crawling through a swamp once again, when suddenly I realize that I would need something to trade for the money printer. After all salesmen tradesmen aren't called tradesmen for nothing. So I dig into my pockets and pull out this half complete wooden house that I'd been chipping away at before I started my odyssey through the swamps. But I had not tool. I looked around and I saw this man who was carrying a wood-chewing tool. I had no choice. There was simply no other way. I stabbed him in the back of the head with my knife, then after the sharks devoured him, i came back to scrounge the remains. Freshly nutrified, I managed to complete the wooden house.

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And lo and behold, I found the traveling salesman. "Here, take this house, travelling tradesman. All I want in return is the money printer." "Okay, here you go." "nice, I can defeat the swampnaucerous now. Thank you traveling salesman! In return, I shall build you a big house on top of the hill." "You already paid me with the wooden house model". "Oh, ok".

HP hit it on the nail but I wanted to add some points as I've also gone through my phases of darkness @Mark Karhan These moments are very natural, and actually a good sign, they probably show you that you know something is not right in your life, and that can lead to major changes for the better. I'm not sure if this is the same you are experiencing, but look up "dark night of the soul", it's something that most people go through at some point (or multiple) points in their lives and can be very transformative.

As someone who's been there before and changed for much better, I can tell you that if you can get the basics right (the things that HP mentioned), you will feel much better overtime (it won't happen overnight). Make an effort to keep a routine and do the basics for a while. Diet is a very specific thing, and I'd recommend to get informed on all the available information now, but in general you want to avoid (or reduce) all the processed shit, and favor whole foods (whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, eggs, etc...). You also have to work out (or have some regular exercise) if you don't already. Walking around the block is good, but preferably you want to do something that will exert your body and challenge you. That will release testosterone in your system, and get you rise up and work for the things you love. Working out is great if you can find a cool gym nearby, it will also help you to socialize.

Doing those things for a while will improve your sleep immensely. And when we eat, sleep and exercise well, everything else gets much much easier.

If you are feeling in the dumps mentally, avoid social media like the devil. It's a tool for hypernormalization, where any opinions or looks that are not accepted by the current ideology, will be ostracized, ridiculed, or downright attacked. You don't want to be exposed to that when you are still forming your personality. Be yourself, that's much more important than falling in line just to be accepted. Social media has also been linked to severe depression and radicalization (ever seen a friend join Twitter and all of a sudden he's an angry activist?). Stay away from pr0n too, that will completely wreck your dopamine receptors.

The kinds of thoughts you have also have a huge impact on the kind of experience/existence you lead. As an example, if you believe you are fucked up, you will behave in a way that will make that a reality. If however, you twist that belief into "I'm going through a hard moment now and I will get out of it stronger on the other side, no matter what", that's much more productive and will lead you to better results. Write that on the wall to remind you several times a day if you need to. Meditation helps a ton to keep the mind clear.

@Mark Karhan You are a great guy, very smart and you have a sharp mind. Use this opportunity to find yourself, and become someone you will love Know that you are not alone and let us know here how you feel!

I think the key here is that you’re 17. Those are hard years for everyone. You Will look back on things and realize how much easier it gets as you age, well, easier in some ways, more difficult in others

One of the most crucial aspects of mental health is vocabulary. I learned that by watching some videos about neurosciences and some experts in borderline personality. The first thing that often comes is: what do you feel? how do you describe it?

Speaking of borderline. After watching some experts talk about it I changed my view on crimes. The press is very quick at labelling criminals psychopaths, borderline, cruel and the like. But you can't blame the disorder for it. In some cases yes, but more often not. I've seen a case where schizophrenia was given as an excuse for racism. Hmm.. no, really no.

I would say: see a doctor and/or therapist ASAP. They should help you understand why this is happening and offer you the safest solutions.

Apart from that, stuff that you can easily and safely do yourself is:

eat well

limit screens in the evening I started leaving my phone to charge in the living room or studio so I don’t check it first/last thing

try reading

get off social media - not completely, I know you can stay in touch with some friends only this way nowadays, but if you know you’re spending lots of time on it, I recommend using your phone’s features to limit app use. Before they were available I disabled notifications (badges comprised) so I had already reduced my access and now I have a 20-30 min limit that reminds me.

If you try listening to music/talks (as I’ve seen suggested) I would suggest you don’t use headphone/earbuds. I used to do it a lot and I’d get pain in my ears or neck because of the positions you end up, or you wake up tangled in the cable… just put on a speaker and put an auto power off timer (spotify has it for example) so your brain is not bombarded all night (again I’ve done it and woke up with headaches), after all sleep is its time to process what you absorbed in the day, not to keep absorbing.

Stay away/limit yourself from social media

Start going to the gym. I go 4 times a week. It is THE difference maker. Plus who doesn't like being jacked? I clap cheeks with the lights on.

Drink lots of water. It flushes all the shit out of your system.

Don't get addicted to drugs/substances as a way to escape your problems/emotions.

Talk to your mother/father/family more.

Take 5HTP before bed (it helps level serotonin, I take it every night).

Eat proper food. Not KFC. Not Maccy D's. Not sugar. Not takeaways. Eat shit, feel like shit. Enjoy in moderation.

Don't force yourself to do things that used to make you happy. I lost all interest in games over lockdown. Making them was bad enough, it just made me miserable sitting in my office everyday staring at a screen. Take a break. I'm now currently enjoying D2 Resurrected.

Read before bed, put down the electronics an hour before you sleep.

Go for walks. I like to go for a walk almost every night. Assuming it isn't raining, welsh weather.

Listen to lots of music. I combine this with walking.

Ditch the porn. Holy shit if I was 17 today I'd be a fucking mess with how easily you can come across tits and ass. Just scrolling through instagram today my teenage head would explode. Fuck that shit. It is going to fuck up a generation of guys.

Quote from dux

2 hours ago, dux said: I clap cheeks with the lights on.

?

Quote from Mark Karhan

23 hours ago, Mark Karhan said: Has anyone had a really good experience with a particular EU country?

I like my country. Recommended, Finland’s fucking weird, you’ll love it. I don’t travel much anyways. Makes me just miss home.

Good luck with getting better. Mental health is no joke. I was denying my depression long enough without seeking help when I should have. I hit rock bottom. Times were different back then, never saw a doctor or took a pill. Took me long time to recover back to my normal self.

A friend of mine is on mental pills and his doctors apparently didn't even do blood work on him... meds should be the last resort.

To add to that, you should always get a second opinion.

Those pills legit fuck people up. It's a god damn pandemic particularly here in the US.

Yes. US and BR suffer from the overmedication and two categories stand out: depression and adhd. I think that the third would be related to losing weight. To make matters worse there are many more bad mental health professionals than good ones.

I was watching some specialists in narcissism, borderline and such and it's incredible how many disorders are misunderstood. Very few have the means and the knowledge to treat them.

I've never sought out professional help towards mental health (in part because I don't trust doctors), but ever since I got really depressed at the start of COVID, I've been paying more attention to the things in my daily life that make me feel better. I've made drastic changes to my diet (after a lot of experimentation). I no longer eat ~80% of the things I used to eat back in high school. Cutting out all the junk food has helped with my ADHD symptoms and eating high fat meals tends to give me a lot of energy without taking away my ability to stay still and concentrate (sponsored by Keto™). Talking to people helps reduce my anxiety even if it's venting to strangers on the internet. I recently watched the second Joe Rogan podcast with Chuck Palahniuk where they ponder over why young people have a tendency to take do crazy things and Chuck gives this analogy of knocking down the idle. The premise is that there are certain things you can do (like exhaustive exercise) to put your mind in a state of tranquility so that you can have a long session of mapping or whatever. Also, don't feel pressured to finish all those maps you've started. Perhaps you don't have anything new to learn anymore in source mapping, perhaps you've found something more interesting to pursue, or perhaps your brain chemical balance just isn't right at the moment for some reason and you gotta go and fix that. The earlier you learn how to take care of your body and your mind, the better. When you get a hold of your mental health, you will feel more productive, everyday things will feel easier to do, and you'll be free from all those self-deprecating thoughts that creep into your mind when you're trying to justify your depression. And like someone else said, psychopharmaceuticals should be your last resort.

Insomnia has been stuck in me since 2020 and I can't fucking stand even, I used to have a pills but now I don't.

Now it's the new year and I think Insomnia will fucking torture my mental health and sanity

This is fucking suck.

(Almost 12 AM here y'all) : D

After watching a psychiatrist and reading some threads in other forums about insomnia, I have to give these tips:

• Don't watch movies or series, before going to sleep, where each episode ends in a cliffhanger. It keeps your mind "trapped" in that alternate reality
• In some cases exercise helps because you need to spend energy and exhaust yourself. In some other cases it may be bad because the exercise may make you even more awake than before
• I don't know the name for this, but it works. What causes insomnia? Most of the time your mind is thinking about things related to the past or to the future. It's very much related to anxiety. One way to trick your brain is to focus on what is about the present. Look at what is right in front of you. Hear the sound of silence. Hear your heartbeats. Feels your feet touching the ground. Feel the cold or the hot. Sniff leaves or something. Breath in and out. Play with your tongue. Even if just for a minute or so your mind is going to stop the negative thoughts and focus on things that are mostly concrete.
• I've watched another psychiatrist horrified that some patients were taking dozens and dozens of Zolpidem (Ambien) per day to sleep. Jesus!!! It's insane.
• Some youtube channels out there have sounds of rain that play for 10 hours. I don't know the relationship between white / brown / pink noises with sleep.
• There are some channels with ppl walking on streets with go pro cameras. They are relaxing more or less in the same way as the sound of rain.