For me it happens when I care too much about other people's reaction, judgment, or just attention in general. And I mean obsessed like a real addiction.<p>Right now as I'm typing this my body is shaking and my mind is locked onto a recent Ask HN post I started about something personal [0]. My heart and mind are racing wondering if people are going to see it, how they're gonna react, etc. And now I'm also doing the same in anticipation of this one.<p>This attachment can be a negative, anxious worrying, or it can be a euphoric high if it's positive (eg a well received HN post). Either one, I get completely fixated on it, become extremely erratic, and would act impulsively, doing things that can have detrimental effects, including neglecting real responsibilities (eg risk being late for work because I <i>had</i> to reply to something).<p>I get it when I try to contact classmates hoping to make friends. The feeling is actually worst when I don't get any response, because then my mind starts wondering about all the possible reasons for the silence.<p>I know I've had childhood trauma linked with neglect, and I'm pretty sure I have the avoidant attachment style. I also recently found out about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (linked to ADHD). I definitely have this.<p>I used to get separation anxiety when my relationship was shaky, but that's all gone now because the relationship is much much better and stable.<p>Recently I've been more active in trying to make friends, and have become more involved in certain communities (like HN). So I'm suddenly experiencing a lot of this and I'm just kinda shocked that it's still happening.<p>Does anyone else experience this level of intensity regarding attachments? How did you cope?<p>[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30952648