This is a very good post. I found myself nodding and agreeing with basically everything as I read it. I have been in that situation and am also in the "recovery" phase. I still have my bad days, but I also have the tools to control them.
What you said about change is very important. You do the same thing, you get the same result. I am in the process of taking a very bold and game changing leap. While risky, I already feel so much better, even now in the very beginning stages.
The drugs are terrible. Yes, they numb the pain, but they don't remove it. They just desensitise you. I did not enjoy being a zombie and I hope never to have to follow that path again.
Exercise is a great and highly underrated treatment. You physically remove toxins from your blood by doing it.
To really answer your question (why doesn't everyone suffer from it); it comes down to two things:
- You are incapable of comprehending all of the facts, and thus they don't bother you. And/or
- You are not conscientious. i.e. you simply don't give a f... . what this means is that generally nice people worry about things like e.g. performing well at work, the happiness of those around them. I'm not saying you're a sociopath if you don't worry about others, but the evidence overwhelmingly shows that this is the default state in most cultures. It can easily be seen by things like the selfish driving habits of people in most countries (especially those with poorly policed traffic).
So being anxious is good in a way. It means you have a pretty decent brain and that you care enough to give a f... .
Yes! Thanks for adding that. That is certainly true, and I believe Stefan Molyneux has covered that as well in some of his big "works", if I'm not mistaken! It sounds very familiar.. That being anxious is generally considered a good trait. :)A sign of high intelligence and empathy. But too much of something...
I'm glad to hear you're doing better as well. I've never done the drugs. I've worked in psychiatry, so I know what these drugs can do..and how little they help. And especially for someone "new" dealing with mental problems..drugs is the last thing you want to do. Really the last resort.
Agreed