Normally, ASMR would help you decrease your anxiety levels. With that in mind, it’d quite rare for ASMR to give you anything but tingles and relaxation – and it’d be especially rare to give you anxiety. But it can happen.
A lot of people take the many benefits of ASMR for granted. But, sometimes, ASMR can backfire and give you the exact opposite of what you were expecting. There are rare occasions where watching ASMR videos can lead to both stress and anxiety. How could that happen?
There are three different scenarios where ASMR could be a bad thing:
- WHEN YOU HAVE ASMR IMMUNITY: If you have developed immunity, it’s time to take a break. Sometimes it’s hard to do so, but if you try to force your way through your ASMR immunity, you’ll only make it stronger. Eventually, you’ll start to get upset and what is supposed to help you with anxiety will only worsen it.
- WHEN YOU WATCH WAY TOO MUCH ASMR: Too much of anything is bad for you, ASMR included. We need to remind ourselves that ASMR isn’t exactly normal – it shouldn’t happen all the time. Especially if you are constantly watching videos. That’s when you need to limit your screen time.
- WHEN YOU ARE WATCHING THE WRONG TRIGGERS: The wrong kind of triggers can make you think ASMR is downright unwatchable. For example, the most controversial trigger of them all is eating. But no matter which one is it, if you don’t seem to get relaxed by it, avoid it altogether.
What can I do to avoid anxiety-induced ASMR?
The best thing you can do is reduce your ASMR watching time and always look for quality videos. Keeping it short and sweet is always better than dragging out something that isn’t working. If you feel like you can benefit from taking a break, you should do so.
On the other hand, if you feel anxious whenever you are not watching ASMR, that is also a way ASMR might give you anxiety. You should never feel dependent on watching ASMR videos, it should be something you are happy to do but that you can easily forget about.
If you feel like you are developing an ASMR addiction, it’d be best to stop watching ASMR videos altogether, at least for a while.
Can ASMR lead to misophonia?
Listening to triggers you cannot stand is a clear indication of misophonia. Even though several triggers would be easily associated with misophonia for people who cannot experience ASMR, there are several cases of misophonia within the ASMR community.
There are countless triggers you can try, there is no need to get stuck with the ones you don’t like. Sometimes we even start to dislike triggers we once love, and that’s okay too!
Is there bad ASMR?
There is no objectively bad ASMR, but there are misaligned tastes. You might not enjoy something ASMR-related and that is fine, as long as you don’t force yourself through a video for any reason whatsoever!
Remember: the only bad ASMR is the one that does not relax you!