Post by Os on Jul 21, 2014 19:25:05 GMT
Let's talk about anxiety and depression. What are they?
NHS describes the general anxiety symptoms as:
And general depression symptoms as:
These two, anxiety and depression, often seem to come together. But why?
Now, I'm not talking in psychology-text book terms anymore, what I'm about to describe is mostly a discussion many professionals and intellectuals have, thigtly related to philosophy at some points, but I really think it's the best explanation to the reason why anxiety and depression have become so common.
These days, especially with the emergence of technology and the extremely powerful emphasis on the need for visibility that comes with our society -the society of spectacle-, the stimuli caused by the extreme connectivity with other people may be a little bit too much for our system. Basicallly, today's world is based around connections, facilitated (not produced) by techonology. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't bad, after all, life itself is based on connections. The problem is, our system can take so-much connectivity before we become a nervous wreck.
So, to resume super, super quickly:
How does the process go?
(Now, this doesn't always happen, it depends on how you manage your connections. If you are good at managing them, you will know how to stay focused on one thing at a time, and this will not be a problem for you. But of course, like everything, it's easier said than done.)
Now, how does this relate to astrology?
That is the question! When I first discussed this in my philosophy group, I instantly thought of Gemini and Mercury (I bet you did too).
Do you think Gemini will make this process easier or more difficult? Or people with a strong Mercury dominance, do you think they will be more prone to this connectivity/anxiety problem or less? What do you think will relate to this? Which signs/planets/placements?
Personally, I have a Mercury predominance, and I have a tendency to feel anxious and go through that whole process, and I've met Geminis with strong anxiety and panic attack problems. Either way, that may have nothing to do with it.
I thought it would be interesting to formulate theories together, so what do you think?
NHS describes the general anxiety symptoms as:
Psychological symptoms can include:
feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time
having difficulty sleeping, which makes you feel tired
not being able to concentrate
being irritable
being extra alert
feeling on edge or not being able to relax
needing frequent reassurance from other people
feeling tearful
Physical symptoms can include:
a pounding heartbeat
breathing faster
palpitations (an irregular heartbeat)
feeling sick
chest pains
headaches
sweating
loss of appetite
feeling faint
needing the toilet more frequently
"butterflies" in your tummy
feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time
having difficulty sleeping, which makes you feel tired
not being able to concentrate
being irritable
being extra alert
feeling on edge or not being able to relax
needing frequent reassurance from other people
feeling tearful
Physical symptoms can include:
a pounding heartbeat
breathing faster
palpitations (an irregular heartbeat)
feeling sick
chest pains
headaches
sweating
loss of appetite
feeling faint
needing the toilet more frequently
"butterflies" in your tummy
A general low mood can include:
sadness
an anxious feeling
worry
tiredness
low self-esteem
frustration
anger
However, a low mood will tend to improve after a short time. Making some small changes in your life, such as resolving a difficult situation or talking about your problems and getting more sleep, can improve your mood.
A low mood that doesn't go away can be a sign of depression.
Symptoms of depression can include the following:
continuous low mood or sadness
feeling hopeless and helpless
having low self-esteem
feeling tearful
feeling guilt-ridden
feeling irritable and intolerant of others
having no motivation or interest in things
finding it difficult to make decisions
not getting any enjoyment out of life
having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
feeling anxious or worried
sadness
an anxious feeling
worry
tiredness
low self-esteem
frustration
anger
However, a low mood will tend to improve after a short time. Making some small changes in your life, such as resolving a difficult situation or talking about your problems and getting more sleep, can improve your mood.
A low mood that doesn't go away can be a sign of depression.
Symptoms of depression can include the following:
continuous low mood or sadness
feeling hopeless and helpless
having low self-esteem
feeling tearful
feeling guilt-ridden
feeling irritable and intolerant of others
having no motivation or interest in things
finding it difficult to make decisions
not getting any enjoyment out of life
having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself
feeling anxious or worried
Now, I'm not talking in psychology-text book terms anymore, what I'm about to describe is mostly a discussion many professionals and intellectuals have, thigtly related to philosophy at some points, but I really think it's the best explanation to the reason why anxiety and depression have become so common.
These days, especially with the emergence of technology and the extremely powerful emphasis on the need for visibility that comes with our society -the society of spectacle-, the stimuli caused by the extreme connectivity with other people may be a little bit too much for our system. Basicallly, today's world is based around connections, facilitated (not produced) by techonology. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't bad, after all, life itself is based on connections. The problem is, our system can take so-much connectivity before we become a nervous wreck.
So, to resume super, super quickly:
How does the process go?
- Exteme connectivity, we connect with and manage a million different things at once; basically a period of mania ("Mania is the mood of an abnormally elevated arousal energy level. Elevated irritability is common along with behavior that seems on the surface to be the opposite of depression.")
- A system overload, we connect with so many things at once we feel like we can't connect with anything anymore. Can't pay attention or stay focused on anything at once, nervousness, restlessnes, anxiety and possible panick attacks.
- Since we can't pay attention or focus on anything anymore, we go on a period of underconnectivity, basically, depression.
(Now, this doesn't always happen, it depends on how you manage your connections. If you are good at managing them, you will know how to stay focused on one thing at a time, and this will not be a problem for you. But of course, like everything, it's easier said than done.)
Now, how does this relate to astrology?
That is the question! When I first discussed this in my philosophy group, I instantly thought of Gemini and Mercury (I bet you did too).
Do you think Gemini will make this process easier or more difficult? Or people with a strong Mercury dominance, do you think they will be more prone to this connectivity/anxiety problem or less? What do you think will relate to this? Which signs/planets/placements?
Personally, I have a Mercury predominance, and I have a tendency to feel anxious and go through that whole process, and I've met Geminis with strong anxiety and panic attack problems. Either way, that may have nothing to do with it.
I thought it would be interesting to formulate theories together, so what do you think?