Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by dionidium on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @11:57AM (#11902871)

I once heard Sam Harris talking about a similar process. Most people sort of are their thoughts. That is -- this is tough to describe plainly -- their thoughts and feelings are primary, driving their actions as if mechanically linked. But you can in a certain sense become aware of your thoughts and view them as an outsider, as something that's happening that you can see and choose how you react to. It's not just about self-assessment. It works during acute "attacks" too.

It's crazy, but hearing him say that made a huge impact on an anxiety problem that had been getting worse for me. Thinking of it this way has without exaggeration changed my life.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by phkn1 on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @12:41PM (#11903237)

That sounds fascinating. Do you happen to have a link to anything he's written or recorded on the subject?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by johnthedebs on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @01:17PM (#11903537)

I've listened to Sam Harris' stuff too not long ago and I'm not sure if it changed my life, but it definitely blew my mind and is part of a broader interest in this type of stuff that is changing my life. I don't agree with all his opinions, but his interview with Tim Ferriss and his book Waking Up are both fantastic.

Tim Ferriss Interview: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/06/18/sam-harris/

Waking Up (narrated by Sam himself, which I prefer): http://www.audible.com/pd/Religion-Spirituality/Waking-Up-Au...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by dionidium on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @01:22PM (#11903588)

Harris was initially my least favorite of the Four Horsemen -- Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett -- but my opinion has completely changed over the last year. With Hitchens gone, he's playing the role of public intellectual better than anybody else I'm aware of right now. I highly recommend his podcast.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by gdilla on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @01:26PM (#11903630)

I lost some respect for Harris when he tried to lay into Noam Chomsky and failed miserably http://www.alternet.org/books/what-happened-when-sam-harris-...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by dionidium on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @02:12PM (#11904033)

I was able to make it through about half of that before the irrelevant mewling about "privileged powerful male elites in U.S. society" became too much for me.

If anybody is interested in what Harris actually had to say, they should go read it for themselves:

https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-limits-of-discourse

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by gdilla on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @02:48PM (#11904305)

yeah, because that's a totally neutral take on what happened.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by dionidium on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @01:19PM (#11903551)

It was either on his "Waking Up" podcast or during one of his many (very long) appearances on Joe Rogan's show. Sorry, I don't remember which episode.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head by harry_corn on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @01:17PM (#11910615)

Time for some headspace and anxiety therapy (ie rejection therapy) to reach the next level.

[ Parent | on HN ]