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Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

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Re: Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

#41

Post by speakfreely »

humanistbot wrote: post #8
sn0w_crash wrote: post #3

No, I don’t want to sound cold but I’m sorry to say… this is called “life.” Our parents had tough times, and their parents had tough times, and so on throughout history. People have dealt with famines, wars, oppression, economic struggles, disease and death for thousands of years. I’m not suggesting the feelings of burnout aren’t real. I’m just saying that every generation experiences some level of hardship and it’s…

> Our parents had tough times, and their parents had tough times, and so on throughout history. US baby boomers had the best luck to be born in a time of massive prosperity, and opportunities have been steadily declining since then. My father didn't go to college and worked construction. He didn't own the company, just manual labor. He could pay the mortgage on a nice house in the suburbs and support a family on one…

But your quality of life is actually better. More advanced medical care, more access to information on improving yourself, your career. Tons of opportunities to try new things using online training that was never previously accessible.

The only difference is that this new level of connectivity also is showing (if you're looking) how everyone else is doing and allowing you to constantly make quantitative comparisons. Now you're aware of what everyone house on your street is worth and where all your rich friends are taking vacations. But you don't have to buy into it. Stop counting other peoples' money and you'll be much happier.

Re: Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

#42

Post by tjr225 »

We’re all sort of complicit in building a network of networks that only really “succeeds”(driving clicks, generating ad revenue) by getting as much attention from you as possible. The best way to do that is to scare you and make you as worried as possible.

Putting our lives on the internet will either bring some crazy socio-economic change that makes everything better or it will go down in history as one of the dumbest things we’ve ever done.

Do your best to take back the short time you have on this planet away from this weird worry network we have all built and spend time with people, do things that make you happy and healthy, ignore the ad revenue machine and it can’t fuck with you.

Re: Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

#45

Post by sudden_dystopia »

sn0w_crash wrote: post #3

No, I don’t want to sound cold but I’m sorry to say… this is called “life.” Our parents had tough times, and their parents had tough times, and so on throughout history. People have dealt with famines, wars, oppression, economic struggles, disease and death for thousands of years. I’m not suggesting the feelings of burnout aren’t real. I’m just saying that every generation experiences some level of hardship and it’s…

It’s the nuclear risk that is worrying me. All the other stuff are “normal” problems we have had for thousands of years but nuclear is existential. Yea, there was the Cold War, but I feel like this new threat is much more dangerous than that era.

Re: Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

#47

Post by enoughalready »

sudden_dystopia wrote: post #21
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #14

> All I want to do is look at my phone and consume more content This will contribute to and/or perpetuate your burnout. If you're overwhelmed and burned out, the last thing you need is to spend more time in front of screens and more time consuming endless streams of content. News content and outrage bait is especially bad at burning people out. It's easy to spend 30 minutes on Reddit or Twitter and feel like the worl…

Yea but that doesn’t solve the problem that the world IS crumbling around us. Putin is backed into a corner, how does that not end in WW3 if we continue on this path?

Constantly checking the news is unlikely to end the conflict or deescalate things :) Not saying that there aren't real issues, but remember, news makes money off of getting you to constantly engage, so they are financially motivated to sensationalize.

Re: Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

#48

Post by nowandlater »

It seems like it sometimes. Therapy is good. If you can't make it or want to try something self-paced -- I like "Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life" by Steven Hayes. The one with the workbook. It's ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). CBT is good as well.

If you have a mountain or hill nearby, go bike, walk, hike, run, climb up it. Just you (or and some friends), some good feeling pain, and nature.

Re: Ask HN: Are we all burned out?

#49

Post by AnimalMuppet »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #14

> All I want to do is look at my phone and consume more content This will contribute to and/or perpetuate your burnout. If you're overwhelmed and burned out, the last thing you need is to spend more time in front of screens and more time consuming endless streams of content. News content and outrage bait is especially bad at burning people out. It's easy to spend 30 minutes on Reddit or Twitter and feel like the worl…

This perpetuates burnout in another way - it's mentally draining. You're wiped out from work, so you come home and just get on your phone, because you're too tired to do anything else. But being on the phone does not recharge you mentally or emotionally (or spiritually, if you think such a thing exists). Instead, it leaves you more drained.

(Or maybe this isn't "another way". Maybe this is just repeating what the parent said.)

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