Is there really such a thing as having anxiety or depression for 'no reason'?

[ZayKayWill]

This Post Has Been Edited

[Boo Bass]

Hi Zay

Yep, there does not need to be a reason for anxiety or depression. It can come out of the blue, you may be hereditarily disposed to it.

BB

[salvator here]

Same here! Sometimes there is no logical explanation for my anxiety. I assume its because of something that subconsciously triggered me (watching the news is my trigger) without realizing it. Also, poor sleep leaves me feeling vulnerable and blue.

[gypsylee]

Hey there,

There's not just "such a thing" as having anxiety (and depression) for no reason; it's completely normal! I've been reading "The Happiness Trap" by Russ Harris (based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and from an evolutionary viewpoint anxiety makes a lot of sense because humans are pretty fragile compared to a lot of animals so we had to be constantly on the lookout for predators. The fight/flight mechanism was essential for our survival. So basically humans have evolved to survive, not to be happy and relaxed. If you were too relaxed in prehistoric times you'd be dinner for a sabre-tooth tiger pretty quickly. Obviously now that's not such a problem but our minds and bodies haven't quite caught up with civilisation, and a lot of us are left with trigger-happy flight or fight mechanisms. Then we add to the anxiety because we can't work out WHY we're anxious with no sabre-tooth tigers around. It becomes a real vicious circle and there you have anxiety disorder and depression.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

Edit: Alan Watts https://youtu.be/emHAoQGoQic

[fixmybrokenmind]

It is absolutely possible. Through all of my anxiety and depression I had a pretty solid life on the outside, I definitely didn't feel any overwhelming reason to feel the emotions I did. Since overcoming them not a whole lot has changed on the outside.

Many times, unprovoked mental health issues are related to neurotransmitter or hormone imbalances. Serotonin, and dopamine being the most common imbalances, also the most heavily influenced by doctor prescribed anti depressants.

Personally, and surprisingly, I have very good success with intermittent use of 5htp and St Johns Wort (always separate never together). They are debated to increase serotonin in the brain and in my anecdotal experience have both definitely improved my mood and anxiety beyond placebo. I also benefit from magnesium and vitamin D, which I now consider staples in any supplement regime.

[salvator here]

I found your posting to be quite intriguing gypsy. I've never thought about it that way, but it without question makes sense. I find going out in public to be exhausting, because I'm always paranoid and over alert of my surroundings and can't relax and enjoy myself. I try to avoid going out when I'm feeling especially vulnerable, because I know its shows and people can 'sense' this and just like sharks, when they smell blood, they go in for the kill. I believe this because I can tell when people appear vulnerable by their body language.

[gypsylee]

I found your posting to be quite intriguing gypsy. I've never thought about it that way, but it without question makes sense. I find going out in public to be exhausting, because I'm always paranoid and over alert of my surroundings and can't relax and enjoy myself. I try to avoid going out when I'm feeling especially vulnerable, because I know its shows and people can 'sense' this and just like sharks, when they smell blood, they go in for the kill. I believe this because I can tell when people appear vulnerable by their body language.

Here's an excerpt from The Happiness Trap:

Why Is It So Difficult To Be Happy?

To answer this question, we need to take a journey back in time. The modern human mind, with its amazing ability to analyse, plan,
create and communicate, has largely evolved over the last hundred thousand years, since our species, Homo sapiens, first appeared on
the planet. But our minds did not evolve to make us feel good, so we could tell great jokes, write sonnets and say ‘I love you’. Our
minds evolved to help us survive in a world fraught with danger. Imagine that you’re an early human hunter-gatherer. What are your
essential needs in order to survive and reproduce?

There are four of them: food, water, shelter and sex, but none of these things mean much if you’re dead. So the number one priority of
the primitive human mind was to look out for anything that might harm you and avoid it! In essence, the primitive mind was a ‘Don’t get
killed’ device, and it proved enormously useful. The better our ancestors became at anticipating and avoiding danger, the longer they
lived and the more children they had.

With each generation the human mind became increasingly skilled at predicting and avoiding danger. And now, after a hundred
thousand years of evolution, the modern mind is still constantly on the lookout for trouble. It assesses and judges almost everything
we encounter: Is this good or bad? Safe or dangerous? Harmful or helpful? These days, though, it’s not sabre-toothed cats or 200
kilogram wolves that our mind warns us about. Instead it’s losing our job, being rejected, getting a speeding ticket, not being able to
pay the bills, embarrassing ourselves in public, upsetting our loved ones, getting cancer, or any of a million and one other common
worries. As a result we spend a lot of time worrying about things that, more often than not, never happen.

The PDF version is at http://www.goyourownway.org/GOYOUROWNWAY/DOCUMENTS/VETERANS/PENDING/Happiness%20Trap,%20The%20-%20Harris,%20Russ.pdf