Prompt Cast
Using Technology to Manage Anxiety and Improve Mental Health
TLDR Paul Ford has found a unique way to manage his anxiety by creating an anxiety bot that sends him anxiety-inducing emails, allowing him to externalize and confront his anxiety. Through technology, he has become more aware of his anxiety and has gained more control over it, leading to a happier life.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
A man named Paul Ford has registered multiple domain names, including "Leave Kitty Alone," "This Day in Anger," and "Platisher.com."
02:17
Paul Ford uses the web to solve personal problems, such as creating a calorie tracking website and setting Google Calendar reminders for himself in the future, but these methods can sometimes have unintended consequences, like a Google Calendar alarm about having children popping up during a time of fertility issues.
04:19
Paul Ford treats his crippling anxiety like an IT problem that needs troubleshooting in order to figure out what is causing it and how to fix it.
06:31
Paul Ford created a website called Anxiety Box that sends him emails from his anxiety about various things, in an attempt to make himself feel less anxious.
08:24
Paul Ford created a bot that sends him anxiety-inducing emails in order to externalize and simulate his anxiety, realizing that the voice of his anxiety is like a spam email that he wants nothing to do with.
10:34
Creating an anxiety bot that sends him anxiety-inducing emails allowed Paul to externalize and confront his anxiety, realizing that it was not as important or terrible as he initially thought.
12:52
Paul Ford has found a way to manage his anxiety by externalizing it through technology and becoming more aware of it, allowing him to have more control over it and live a happier life.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
