As someone with crippiling anxiety, this is of little comfort.
this post was submitted on 09 May 2026
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On the one hand, it is sort of panglossian, on the other it is partially right: every emotion has a useful role...but this is like an auto-immune response: a malfunction in an otherwise useful complex mechanism.
Right. I'm going to ask my therapist about this.
My therapist has took this angle immediately - anxiety is a part of us and has a real function - to make us more cautious. But in the modern world it misfires and makes us anxious about things we don't need to be anxious about which can stop us from doing what we want/need to do. So you acknowledge that voice within yourself, understand that it's coming from a good place, and then gently push it aside.
I mean I suck at actually doing this but it seems like sound advice.
Yes, I understand it has a function because it helped us survive. However, that is in healthy levels. I'm not sure if that counts as anxiety though.
Makes sense. You don't want anxious people to be anxious about their anxiety
Sounds patronizing. This is like telling someone with appendicitis, “Well you see, the appendix used to have this function back in caveman days…”
Anxiety has a function. Appendix does not and it's because of another evolutionary success.
The Internet told me the appendix absolutely has a function:
If you get sick and shit the absolute fuck out of everything in your bowels — full colon cleanse the hard way — your appendix holds back a colony of your intestinal support bacteria which serves as a base to recolonize your gut.
This is extremely useful to anyone who lives in a world where illnesses of intense gut-cleansing shitting are a thing.
Now I feel patronized
medicalisation
?
Only to now be weaponized by social media and the epstein class