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Comment by elwell | Hacker News Reader

Sometimes I trick my mind into thinking I will die if I don't do a certain thing. This can be a good motivator, but can lead to unnecessary anxiety if not used in moderation. Also, it only works as well as you trick yourself into believing it. I've noticed a marked increase in my abilities to focus and in my quickness when I use this method during a game or something similar. I figure I am leveraging the high value placed on survival which has been cultivated via evolution, using it to enhance my mental acuity and awareness such that I might 'survive'.

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Sometimes I trick my mind into thinking I will die if I don't do a certain thing.

It's different since you do it voluntarily but this is a very common symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder so.. just be careful, especially if you catch yourself doing it for something that's not productive or positive.

That aside, it's not too difficult to build up a general sense of mortality that we seem to naturally avoid, by studying history, lurking in some of the more depressing sub-Reddits, etc ;-)

Mild OCD has been something that has given me undue stress in my life at times; thankfully, it's not very prevalent in my life these days (intentional exposure to the anxieties seems to have worked for me). But, I most certainly agree; which is why I included, "This can be a good motivator, but can lead to unnecessary anxiety if not used in moderation."

How long has this been working out for you? I think after a while you'd be unable to trick yourself into believing it.

I've had similar thought patterns since I was kid (24 now). I think it's similar to the game many kids play "the floor is lava" (where you have to avoid stepping on the floor and then get from point A to B; if you step on the floor you 'die'). So it's partly a function of the imagination. Though more recently I've used it while being more conscious of what I am doing. Maybe, instead of having the effect wane, it's become more controlled and intuitive the more I've done it.

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