Two things I've learned since I was first diagnosed with anxiety 15 years ago are that: 1) coping with anxiety is a constant practice, and 2) we are not alone. The NIH estimates that almost 1/3 of adults in the US suffer from some anxiety disorder; in spite of this, it's easy to feel isolated and unable to share your feelings with other people because you don't want to burden them.
One of the strategies I've developed to help me cope with anxiety is to scream. I find the practice cathartic. My primary outlet for this over the last decade has been as the vocalist for a metal band, where I can channel my anxiety into art for other people and can see through my audience's response that I'm not alone. Not everyone has an outlet like this, which has led me to create The Void, a web app that invites us to scream out our feelings and share them anonymously with others. You can find the most current version of The Void at https://into-the-void.app
I will be continuing to develop The Void and have a few new features planned for the coming months, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other.
In my previous life as an English teacher, I spent a lot of time reading philosophy. In particular, I was enamored with Buddhism and Existentialism, two very distinct ideologies that nevertheless have a connection in their perspective on the void. In much of Western philosophy and theology, emptiness, void, or nothing has negative connotations: the void is a place of darkness and the unknown, and the unknown is something to be feared; humans have a void in ourselves that we seek to fill with spirituality or pleasure or possessions; to do nothing is to invite evil into your life ("idle hands are the devil's playthings"); it is the pessimist who points out the emptiness in the glass. Buddhism and (much later) Existentialism present a different perspective on the void or nothingness: to be content with nothingness is to be free, uncontrolled by possessions or desire; idleness is time for quiet reflection; emptiness is potential: the medium of change and the space into which we grow and evolve.
According to Buddhism, emptiness is not an absolute nothingness but rather a recognition that all things are interdependent and devoid of intrinsic essence. This means that nothing has a fixed, permanent, or separate identity. Instead, everything is interconnected and arises dependently upon causes and conditions. By understanding the emptiness of all things, practitioners can free themselves from attachment, leading to liberation and enlightenment. Examining and understanding the void within all things is not seen as nihilistic, but rather as a profound insight that allows individuals to transcend suffering and perceive the world more clearly.
For the Existentialist, there is no inherent or predetermined meaning that suffuses reality. This void of intrinsic meaning can be seen as a source of dread and anxiety; however, this absence also provides us the space to create our own meaning and purpose in life. It is only through an acknowledgment of this inherent nothingness that humans have the capacity to make choices and take responsibility for their actions. Existentialists encourage individuals to confront the void and embrace their freedom, finding meaning through personal experiences, relationships, and the pursuit of authentic existence.
- Updates to the UI (currently in development):
- Play and submit buttons added to the scream page, allowing users to preview their recording and choose whether to submit or re-record.
- Pause and stop buttons added to entries on the gaze page
- Friendlier color palette, fonts, and icons
- Various accessibility adjustments for people who are blind or vision impaired
- Additional updates (within the next year):
- Text-only section of the app for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impediment
- AI speech-to-text implementation to connect the text and audio portions of the app.
- Ability to report inappropriate content for moderation and potential removal