Zhang Chaoyang Previously Suffered from Anxiety Disorder: Healing His Spirit through Behavioral Psychology | Anxiety | Zhang Chaoyang
Author | First Finance and Economics Liu Jia
The unexpected death of singer Li Wen has sparked widespread discussions in society about mental health. At the same time, news of tech industry CEOs suffering from depression has also received attention, including Sohu founder Zhang Chaoyang, New Oriental founder Yu Minhong, Meituan co-founder Wang Huiwen, Tesla CEO Musk, and so on.
Recently, Zhang Chaoyang responded in a post on Sohu Video Follow Stream, stating that he has indeed experienced several years of anxiety disorder, which can be accompanied by depressive symptoms. He believes that many so-called depression in China may actually be anxiety disorder, and he recovered in the summer of 2018.
Zhang Chaoyang revealed that he did not rely on medication treatment, but used behavioral psychology to completely cure himself, and even "rediscovered a better self than before getting sick.".
He also emphasized that his remarks about depression had no reference value until he recovered in the summer of 2018.
"In fact, everyone has the possibility of anxiety or depression," Dr. Ji Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Rehabilitation Psychology Committee of the Chinese Rehabilitation Medicine Association, said in an interview with First Financial News today. He told reporters that anxiety disorder can be accompanied by depressive symptoms, but it does not directly equate to "depression". The cognitive behavioral therapy mentioned by Zhang Chaoyang is a commonly used method for treating psychological disorders and related diseases, which was born in the 1960s and has strong operability. However, any treatment method has limitations and cannot be "universal".
Ji Weidong gave an example to the reporter, saying that everyone has experienced a situation of feeling bad or anxious at a certain time, but some of them will gradually disappear after a period of time. This is human self repair; At the same time, depressive symptoms can also be classified into various situations, such as some with obvious biological conditions. It is recommended to use medication and psychological counseling for treatment. For some people, if their social functions are indeed damaged, such as inability to learn or work, medical diagnosis and medication treatment are still necessary. In the past, Zhang Chaoyang was once plagued by depression. In 2012, after discussing with Sohu management, he temporarily resigned from his frontline management position and began to shut down. Sohu also experienced a period of "low valley". He once emphasized to First Financial reporters in an interview that his illness was not due to company issues, but rather a reflection on his past life philosophy.
"Zhang Chaoyang often experiences grief, anxiety, and depression, and is mentally in a state of fear that outsiders cannot understand." In 2014, when returning to Sohu, Zhang Chaoyang revealed to the media that he also went to the United States, India, Nepal, and other places, trying to comprehensively find the reasons for his anxiety from various aspects such as traditional Chinese medicine, Buddhism, Western medicine, Western psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science. He said that for a long time, he was a bit indifferent to this world and wanted to return to being a normal person. "In business history, there have been many examples of years of glory and obscurity before suddenly exploding. We hope that the future will be better than before."
From his energetic demeanor when he returned to his home country in 1995, to the arrogant young man skating on roller skates, his avant-garde style appearing on the cover of fashion magazines, to his seclusion, yoga practice, marathon running, and physics classes, Zhang Chaoyang now exudes more of a carefree and indifferent demeanor.
Not only Zhang Chaoyang, but last summer, Yu Minhong revealed in a conversation with Zhang Chaoyang that he had previously suffered from manic disorder. Yu Minhong said that once on a business trip abroad, he stood on the 20th floor and saw an open window. He was determined to jump, but because he had a child and knew he couldn't jump, he chose to wear a down jacket and walked on the street at minus 30 degrees Celsius for four hours.
How to resolve anxiety? "If it's easy to understand for a liberal arts student, it's a diversion of attention," Yu Minhong added. People can't immerse themselves in anxiety and fear. The best way is to do what you think is still useful to you.
After listening to Yu Minhong's experience, Zhang Chaoyang sighed that everyone is only one step away from depression and anxiety. When it comes to the common anxiety phenomenon in today's society, Zhang Chaoyang believes that everyone is waiting on a hillside, and if they accidentally take a step wrong, they will roll down. Life is like sailing against the current, getting stuck one foot at a time and not sliding down.
He suggested, "You should establish your life values as early as possible, and live and work according to your values firmly, proactively, and positively. No matter what emotions come, you should continue to persist in doing this, which is very important for mental health."
He likened values to ropes. In the mud, your values are like a rope that can drag you up. The human brain has undergone two million years of evolution, and its super computing and super associative abilities require people to manage it based on values, otherwise they will fall into an infinite abyss of pain.
The two even talked about their own epitaph. Zhang Chaoyang replied, "One of the few people who brought the Internet to China in the early days established a good company, which played a certain role in the mass communication of physics, and loved life and sports." Yu Minhong said that he hoped to write "a person who can make a living and is worthy of himself".
In a conversation this year, Peng Kaiping, Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University, also asked Zhang Chaoyang, "What is the best solution when people encounter trouble and pain?"
Zhang Chaoyang gave his current recommendation for the "acceptance and commitment therapy". He introduced that one of the basic functions of the brain is to digest emotions such as inferiority, disappointment, fear, and anxiety like a power grid. People don't need to amplify this feeling. For thousands of years, humanity has been working, creating, solving problems, and gradually growing and developing in the midst of anxiety and fear, becoming the ruler of the earth.
Zhang Chaoyang advocates that when facing anxiety, there is no need to rush to eliminate it, but to do what needs to be done. "There are more important things to do in life. First, establish values and take action. Do not take actions related to anxiety, but take actions directed by values." He emphasized that "anxiety cannot be solved, and solving anxiety will amplify it."
He also cited the conclusion of Nobel Prize winning genetic level research on brain plasticity, emphasizing that "believe it can be changed, and eventually it can be changed.". According to the "principle of brain plasticity", anxiety and discomfort are certain to pass, and the time required to disappear is inversely proportional to the effort made to resolve them
But he also mentioned, "Anxiety is graded, unless your anxiety has reached a very pathological level, which requires guidance from professional personnel."
Peng Kaiping also advocates facing anxiety calmly. He believes that moderate anxiety is not scary and can be alleviated through some specific alternative methods, such as reading tragic novels and movies, experiencing the cold feeling of the person involved in the abyss; Watching my beloved team suffer a devastating defeat and shedding tears for it, and so on.
Faced with future challenges, how can entrepreneurs resolve anxiety when facing setbacks and uncertainties? Zhang Chaoyang also provides his own advice: not only should we be prepared to ensure cash flow, not only to prevent overspending, but also to adhere to long-term principles and do what you think is right. Entrepreneurs should realize that the current market competition is fierce, and only the extreme can be competitive in any field. "Don't be fooled, read some articles. This trend, this possibility, this possibility will be fooled away. Be firm in doing what you think is right, and believe that achieving the extreme will ultimately lead to competitiveness."
Zhang Chaoyang believes that entrepreneurs should establish a higher worldview above making money: "Being a valuable and responsible enterprise is far more clear and meaningful than just focusing on making money."
