1000Daisies,
Perhaps we're twins separated at birth?!
Indeed, you can always feel free to be direct with me. I genuinely appreciate your concerns and recognize they come from your heart. Thank you for caring enough to share them.
Here are some of my thoughts:
1. I definitely experience "Analysis Paralysis," at times.
It seems to have increased with age, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. When I was young, for example, I would make quick decisions about
things, because (i) I was impatient, (ii) I had limited life experience upon which to draw, and (iii) I did not seek the opinions of others who were more informed.
Now that I'm older and have more [personal and anecdotal] life experience, I find myself thinking more deeply about
my decisions. Somewhat like a game of Chess, I suppose.
("If I move my Castle to that position, he will likely move his Knight over there. Then, I will be free to move my Bishop into a better location.") Now, that
can be a good thing -- or, it could go terribly wrong.
My Analysis Paralysis seems to be intertwined with Decision Fatigue and Ego Depletion. Perhaps these conditions are made worse by my impaired health, but I don't really know what's driving what.
I just recognize that my constant exposure to this forum greatly diminishes my mental and physical health, by keeping my brain overwhelmed with reading new information, trying to understand the information, comparing and contrasting the information with existing data, and trying to reconcile any disparities -- which, of course, sends me back to the start of the process.
While being stuck in such a loop, I don't give myself time to consider information more deeply. The constant state of information gathering interrupts my ability to consider larger patterns in my life and see if what I've observed in other areas of my life may apply to my health.
Moreover, I'll never know everything. Nor will I be able to predict the future.
Going back to my hypothetical Chess game, even if I play 100 games with the same opponent, I can make inferences to what he or she might do, but I'll never predict their moves with 100% accuracy. So, if I sit there, lost in a mental maze of possible moves and countermoves, I become paralyzed by indecision. Then, with each subsequent game, I become less certain, less able to make decisions, and unable to make any moves. Then, I quit in frustration.
This is similar to how I've felt, when reading forum posts day-after-day. I read something that allegedly worked for someone and consider it for myself. Then, I read a follow-up comment from a different person who claims the exact opposite experience. So, I look for more details, try to identify variables, and attempt to determine what's causation and what's correlation. Of course, this is nearly impossible, with anecdotes and conjecture. Therefore, "Analysis Paralysis" would be an expected outcome.
2. Your concern about
my not being on a treatment plan may be well-founded.
While I've had many symptoms either greatly diminish or resolve, other symptoms do remain. So, what I'm doing (or, NOT doing) may, indeed, prove to be foolish -- or, worse. I definitely do NOT advise others to follow my example! Of course, I also caution others against blindly following anyone.
As for things like pathogens, heavy metals, or other potential disruptors, it's certainly possible I'm being affected by such things. But, I'm not sure. I have no conclusive data. So, my plan is to continue doing (or, NOT doing) things, making observations, and making any needed adjustments. That could certainly include pharmaceuticals, herbs, a combination or the two, or other modalities.
Right now, though, I'm working to have my opinions fit my observations, rather than trying to force my observations to fit my opinions. There's a lot of storytelling that get conflated with actual facts. It's fine to share stories and have opinions, of course, but they should be disclaimed accordingly.
3. As for people putting more energy into others than they do themselves, I think many can relate.
Like most things, going too far to either end of the spectrum for prolonged periods of time is probably not good. Sometimes, we need to take care of others, at the expense of everything and everyone else. But, other times, we need to turn that care inward.
Self-care is why I quit my job and plan to be more absent from this forum, as briefly explained in my comments. Hopefully, I'll find something useful to share, as time progresses.
Again, I appreciate your feedback and thank you for caring.
Wishing you and yours the best,
The Dude
Post Edited (The Dude Abides) : 9/3/2018 3:38:23 AM (GMT-6)