I feel I am spinning wheels and feel low most days.
Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
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Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#2Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#3Not to be snarky, but congratulations, you've arrived at the prerequisite state before figuring out what you really want to do. Use this time to plan. Do something. Anything.
And get a hobby you enjoy. Seriously. You need to feel personal growth and progress. Work or hobby. It's all the same.
Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#4Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#5Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#6Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#7In England: your employer has a duty to protect you from harm in the workplace. This includes stress, anxiety or depression. Your employer may have an occupational health telephone helpline. Some people say they don't trust employer provided helplines. You could go private: BACP are reputable accreditors for psychological therapies. Or you can use NHS services: do a websearch for your county name and words like "talking therapy" or maybe "cbt". These should take self-referral, but if not you go to your GP and ask for a talking therapy.
Early intervention is important: recovery is quicker and stronger if intervention is early and good.
There are also self-guided systems if you don't want to see anyone. Search for "books on prescription" to see curated lists of sensible books. "Mind Over Mood" is one that's frequently recommended.
There's an Austrailian website: https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/
I recently spoke to about 50 different local employers about mental illness and work and they were all keen to do the right thing and to learn about mental health. So if you recognise something that would improve things for you at work it might be worth just having a chat with them.
Finally: if you find things getting worse it might be worthwhile to create a "rainy day action plan". This would be a list of things that would trigger you into going to see your GP. For example, if you start having suicidal thoughts you should go and see someone. The rainy day action plan is normally used with severe enduring mental illness and can cover Advanced Directives, but they're useful for mild to moderate illness too.
Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#8But seriously, things are fucked and it's only getting worse. I'm in the same shoes and I'm trying a startup in my spare time. Plus, the guy running our project decided to quit and leave me alone with a monster made out of spaghetti code. Just finished updating my resume, hoping I won't need to use it.
Don't have any advice that could help. Because the problem is pure greed. Everybody is acting like a vicious greedy fuck, chasing money like there's no tomorrow. Life is now a river of shit and we're all just floating on the surface, waiting for an island or something. People don't seem to care about it either. Complacency is everywhere. Can't say I blame them.
Anyway, the west is crumbling. Go to a cheaper country. With an IT job you will have enough.
Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#91. Go to a coffee shop or somewhere fun and start a list asking yourself "what do I REALLY want to achieve in my life?" (financial freedom, promotion within a company, launch a startup, run a marathon, etc.)
2. Wake up each day and start working toward achieving your goals.
3. If you're still not happy, then you need to re-evaluate your personal goals.
4. If you don't feel like you're making progress toward your goals, then maybe you're not taking enough risk.
If you feel stuck in your current position, then start networking with other groups inside the company and express your desire to grow your career. Many companies allow you to transition between groups.
Re: Ask HN: What should I do if I feel depressed in my job?
#10If you think you are clinically depressed, seek the advice of a professional as it only gets worse. The usual things apply here: make sure you sleep well (not too little or too much), eat relatively healthy, and exercise plenty). Spend time with friends.
If you're "just" going through a rough patch and are unsatisfied with work, then rest assured this is just part of being a professional. Some days I hate my job, other days I feel like the most fortunate person in the world. The professional part is that I show up regardless of how I am feeling and always deliver the best work I can.
If you find yourself having more bad days than good days, then maybe it's time for a change. Start with an easy change- maybe ask to be put on a different project (ask in a tactful way) or team. Then if it still doesn't get better after a meaningful amount of time (6 months?) then you probably need a bigger change of scenery and should hunt for a new job.