Help to calm down

[Cloudee]

Hi. I have aspergers and have often had problems with anxiety and depression. Lately it's gotten much worse for me. It started when I began to get recommendations in my youtube feed for someone called Jordan Peterson and after googling him and watching his video I found out about these groups called redpill and MGTOW. Basically they are reddit groups that masquerade as self help tips for men but most of the posts are mocking women. Since then I haven't felt too good. I know that we live in a democracy with free speech but I'm wondering how far that goes with people encouraging others to hate on a whole gender. Afterall, I can't help that I'm a woman.

I just feel like I'm under attack and just thinking about all their hateful jokes, pictures an opinions makes me feel ill. I know they aren't the majority but still makes feel uneasy. Lately I have been waking up a 3am with the feeling that something terrible is going to happen and haven't been getting back to sleep. I think I've just picked up some biases as well in that I'm noticing and focusing so many more stories about women being murdered or assaulted or teenage girls being assaulted. I think I need to stop reading these things on the internet but obviously with aspergers I like computers and interacting on computers and I like to read the daily mail.

If anyone has any advice, that would be great. I'm trying real hard to just focus on other things like reading books but this sleeping thing is really getting me down now. I know I need to calm down but I'm finding it very hard to do.

[white knight]

Hi, welcome

I'm confident I can help out.

Brief history- first panic attack in 1987. Therapy and self help programs. Diagnosed anxiety, bipolar, depression and dysthymia(low mood depression) in 2010. But by that time I'd conquered anxiety almost totally.

What is now likely your best path in self help terms is setting to a routine nightly before sleeping. Also a protection barrier for yourself against some people and shonky organistaions. Having said that please GOOGLE the following and read the first posts of each.

Beyondblue topic anxiety, how I eliminated it

Beyondblue topic fortress or survival

Beyondblue fortress of survival part 2

Beyondblue topic the origin of anxiety

Beyondblue topic worry worry worry

Repost anytime.

TonyWK

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Cloudee,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for reaching out.

While I haven't heard of those threads before, I had a look and I can completely understand why they'd be making your anxiety and depression worse. I think there's a reason why they are quarantined.

The advice that I can give is incredibly obvious - stay away from threads or articles that are harmful. It sounds like this is something you want to do, but Aspergers makes it challenging - so how do you think we could get around that? Would website blocking be helpful, or using timers to limit your time on those webpages? Or changing your Reddit password to something ridiculous and constantly logging out when you're finished?

I spend a lot of time on the internet too, and I sometimes can't help but find myself drawn to things I know can be bad for my mental health. But I also know that I really have to try and work hard to put my foot down. So many of these articles are so bias and one sided, that if we were to really unpack them it would probably be less confronting, but of course when there's so many in your face it can become more difficult.

I hope some of this has been helpful for you