c/anxiety·Posted by u/aisha_r·7h ago
Why does putting my phone on Do Not Disturb make me more anxious, not less?
I set DND last night at 9:15 because I kept checking a group chat that was just people sending restaurant photos. The quiet lasted maybe four minutes. Then I started inventing the messages I was missing. Someone mad. Someone hurt. A work ping I would pay for in the morning. I turned DND off, saw a meme about garlic bread, felt stupid, and still could not put the phone face down. I tried again at 10. Same loop. I even walked it to the kitchen and then stood in the kitchen wondering if the kitchen was too far. I want the quiet. My brain treats the quiet like I went missing. Anyone else find the 'helpful' silence louder than the notifications?
Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.
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u/sophie_lang6h ago
I leave one person through, my sister. Everyone else can wait. The total blackout version made me worse too.
u/malik_j5h ago
I put the phone on charge in the hallway. If I have to walk, I usually do not bother. Not noble. Just friction.
u/hannah_brooks5h ago
Do you get the same spike if you just flip it face down, or only when the DND moon icon is on?
u/chris_moretti4h ago
A boring podcast at tiny volume is the only thing that lets me leave it in the other room. Silence itself is the trigger.