I'm trying to figure out how to be less paranoid and obsessive and how to not replay past and future negative scenarios in my head constantly – eventually getting myself in trouble. Often, I go over negative things that I've overheard or have suspicions about, and negative recent occurrences (like getting fired recently or conversations that might have left me in a bad light in someone else’s view). I feel paranoid about anything I cannot control and have ever had problems with perhaps. I was recently fired from a job for generally being too confrontational with my boss about things I saw going wrong and things I was feeling paranoid about. The thing is -- the paranoia is somewhat justified, and I have a hard time believing that it's possible not to worry about stuff all the time. And now at my new job I feel that I’m at risk of the same behavior, feeling jaded already about my new work situation and worrying constantly about everything in my life (and about not having a life, and even about worrying too much itself!) – how can I feel more relaxed and just chill out? [more inside]
posted on Jun 23, 2008 - 10 answers

What is this mysterious process that hijacked my shortcut? I was using Photoshop CS2 and entered the shortcut key for "Save for Web" (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S) and instead of getting the Save for Web dialog, a very minimalist login box appeared. Intrigued, I brought up the Task manager, right-clicked on the "Login" entry in the list, and selected "Go To Process." The process turned out to be C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\vidifker.exe. [more inside]
posted on Jun 4, 2008 - 9 answers

How can I avoid debilitating paranoia when smoking marijuana? [more inside]
posted on May 6, 2008 - 34 answers

[ParanoiaFilter] How can I tell if someone has accessed or opened a file on my computer? [more inside]
posted on May 5, 2008 - 10 answers

Is Cox cable spying on us? My husband was mesmerized one morning by the miracle manna preacher on our Cox cable. The next day, there was a pre-recorded voice mail on our phone from Mr Miracle Manna himself telling us to press 1 now if we wanted our own miracle manna. This seems to be too much of a coincidence. Does Cox have a way of tracking what we watch and then informing their advertisers?
posted on Apr 4, 2008 - 7 answers

I have been searching the site but have not found my specific situation. I would like to know if there is a way to tell that you are being video or audio recorded at work. Not on the computer, just in general. [more inside]
posted on Mar 28, 2008 - 13 answers

A friend of mine, who is highly educated (married with two kids, accomplished medical researcher), is absolutely convinced that September 11 was a huge conspiracy initiated by members of the US government. She has a detailed complex explanation for everything. She takes it deeply personally when I scoff at her, telling me I should read the evidence before forming an opinion. I see her as gullible and she sees me as ignorant. Is there an analysis available comprehensively somewhere addressing the conspiracy theorists to the satisfaction of the leading academics in the relevant areas (material engineering, aerodynamics, media relations, architecture etc)? How do you deal with people like this? [more inside]
posted on Mar 19, 2008 - 62 answers

Do I have anxiety? [more inside]
posted on Feb 18, 2008 - 21 answers

Should I get a NEXUS pass? (For US-Canada border crossing.) [more inside]
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 11 answers

What is it about marijuana that can make the user feel paranoid?
posted on Dec 15, 2007 - 21 answers

Someone bought a telescope in my name on Nov 7th. That's all I know. How do I protect myself even though I don't know what store, or more importantly, what method of "payment" was used to complete the transaction? [more inside]
posted on Dec 4, 2007 - 11 answers

I've been depressed on and off for 20 years but this is new, and scary. (Contains probably too much information but I'm trying to cover any potential questions) [more inside]
posted on Oct 22, 2007 - 50 answers

Does anyone else live with the constant feeling things are about to take a turn for the worse? [more inside]
posted on Oct 12, 2007 - 32 answers

iButton work bathroom conspiracy. Sometime ago I noticed a small silver object blue tacked to the wall high up in one of the executive bathroom cubicles at my workplace. [more inside]
posted on Sep 20, 2007 - 13 answers

Hi AskMe! I don't spend much time looking at msconfig, so this might be nothing. But I'd like to be sure, and Google isn't up to snuff. [more inside]
posted on Aug 11, 2007 - 7 answers

My sister is getting her wisdom teeth taken out... and I dont want her to be put under. [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2007 - 60 answers

What is this weird painless lump at the base of my toe? [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2007 - 12 answers

Wasp paranoia??!! [more inside]
posted on Jun 26, 2007 - 12 answers

How did a username I've never seen before get into my IE7 autocomplete list? [more inside]
posted on Jun 13, 2007 - 7 answers

New ISP offers static IP addresses. Should I take 1 or 8? What can I use them for? Should I be concerned about the RIPE database? [more inside]
posted on Mar 1, 2007 - 7 answers

Does Veteran's Administration medical treatment information get to the insurance world? [more inside]
posted on Feb 11, 2007 - 1 answers

I feel like I'm losing my mind but I'm too worried about my medical records to do anything about it. [more inside]
posted on Feb 10, 2007 - 31 answers

How can I talk rationally to someone amazingly paranoid without further agitating them? [more inside]
posted on Jan 4, 2007 - 28 answers

How do I stop myself from being affected by my friends' relationship problems? [more inside]
posted on Nov 20, 2006 - 9 answers

help me with my paranoia! as its making me terribly unhappy. [more inside]
posted on Oct 10, 2006 - 18 answers

Small problems or worries that are nothing during daylight, seem huge and insurmoutable during the hours of darkness, bordering on paranoia. Is this some form of mild depression, or a SAD related thing? [more inside]
posted on Sep 22, 2006 - 23 answers

ShippingParanoiaFilter: How often does online package tracking show items going astray at the outset of their journey, and how often do they arrive without packing slips? [more inside]
posted on Sep 4, 2006 - 5 answers

SoutheastDCFilter: Survival Skills for the Urban Jungle? [more inside]
posted on Jul 27, 2006 - 17 answers

Tinfoilhatfilter: There seem to be several designs for DIY RFID-blocking (read: duct-tape-and-foil) wallets (e.g.). Is there a comparable product available for purchase pre-made (preferably more elegant- / conventional-looking)? [more inside]
posted on Jan 15, 2006 - 7 answers

Let's say, hypothetically, that you are a victim of a man-in-the-middle attack, perhaps via the handy arp-spoofing feature of the somewhat creepy program known as ettercap. How could you tell? What are the telltale signs?
posted on Jan 4, 2006 - 10 answers

In relation to this post on the subject of personal privacy: is there really good reason to be concerned? Is there any point in keeping personal information private anymore? [more inside]
posted on Dec 22, 2005 - 13 answers

For reasons that don't particularly make sense I believe that someone is spying on me with a camera hidden somewhere in my room. Ignoring for a moment the fact that I'm clearly nuts, what exactly would the law be on this (I live in the US)? [more inside]
posted on Dec 14, 2005 - 49 answers

Not even kidding: What are some good ways to avoid being tailed after a downtown meeting with people I don't want to follow me home and find out where I live? Anyone know of good tips for shaking pursuers, either from the movies or real life?
posted on Dec 8, 2005 - 43 answers

I get a bit concerned about my lungs when I paint, saw, sand, blow dust around, or use nasty chemical solvents. Anyone have any gas and/or dust mask recommendations?
posted on Jun 16, 2005 - 9 answers

I opened my unlisted mailbox this morning to find an unaddressed business card with the seal of a federal agency, claiming that "The U.S. Government is conducting a background investigation on a person you may know." Is it for real and what should I make of it? [more inside]
posted on May 26, 2005 - 48 answers

The thought frequently hits me that people I'm talking with seem to "know more than they should" about me or "know more than they're letting on". Without fail, I logically work through the thought and conclude that this is highly unlikely and that I'm just being paranoid. So, while I'm not, in the end, truly concerned that there is any sort of conspiracy afoot, the fact that I keep having these thoughts makes me wonder: how normal is this? [more inside]
posted on Mar 30, 2005 - 28 answers

as an 80s child, i grew up with the whole tin-foil hat stereotype (or should i say, at this point, archetype?) i've never been able, however, to find the origin of the puzzle. any clues?
posted on Feb 22, 2005 - 17 answers

I've been driving a car for about a decade now, and it's suddenly occurred to me that I'm now completely paranoid about anyone else driving me somewhere. I'm constantly checking the mirrors while they drive, and getting stressed because I think they should be braking sooner or driving in a different lane. It even happens when I catch a bus. Has anyone else experienced this? How did you get over it?
posted on Feb 8, 2005 - 27 answers

[OutOfOfficeParanoiaFilter] I am planning a holiday soon and, over a conversation, a friend gave me a cautionary note about not leaving an out of office autoreply on my mail account as it greatly increased the chance of me being burgled. [+]
posted on Jan 16, 2005 - 14 answers

My workplace (in the UK) has recently decided that every desk must have a laminated card with "Action To Be Taken In The Event Of A Bomb Threat". This strikes me as somewhat bizarre in that although I work for a communications company there is no infrastructure here to damage (barring remote switch access). Should the fact that these have been posted around the building out of the blue trigger a paranoia alert or is it just the company being a tad silly? Does anyone out there have any experience with this sort of thing?

Moderately Concerned of Yorkshire
posted on Nov 17, 2004 - 22 answers

Does the word "paranoid" have an antonym? In other words, can there be a one-word opposite of paranoid? My guess is no since it's a defined clinical state; however since it's used casually, has an antonym evolved?
posted on Dec 16, 2003 - 33 answers