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Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

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Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

#1
Let's start with the simplest: the AI - sometimes I feel like like ground is falling beneath my feet, no one can predict what can happen months in advance let alone years - the future is unknown. The Ukraine, the Iran, the Venezuela, Gaza/Palestine, Israel, Russia - the Taiwan! The conflicts seem distant, but yet so close. The US administration! No one can predict anything. Don't get me started on the Europe! The stock market! Are we in a bubble or not? Should I sell? Or just keep holding? Enshittification of tech. Everything is slow and buggy. Ads, ads and slop everywhere! The erosion of our rights just across the world. The Palantir's, the Flock's...

I feel I have developed a strong pessimistic worldview. The world is going to shit. It feels frustrating and it feels like there's nothing you can do. So I just want to know: how are you all dealing with this all. How are you all staying sane?

Re: Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

#2
As for me I feel the AI fear. Just a few months ago, narrative that AI won't replace programmers, made a lot of sense, and still somewhat does.

But after spending a few weeks totally vibe coding my new project, which is technically advanced, which for sure would be very hard to do on my own, I felt the pressure of what happens in the future with my career.

The only thing keeping me sane is hope, that even if AI takes SE jobs, it makes us a potentially strong founder candidates, we know how to code, how the good architecture should look like and have amazing tool, to iterate very quickly. Although the fact that rapid development is not enough to succeed is another thing.

Re: Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

#6

Focus on what you can control. Detach from social media. Get outside. Spend time with the people in your life who matter. We live in an information age where we know everything immediately, but it's a blessing and a curse.

Tried that in 2022 before the war broke out. Didn't take long for reality to catch up with me, sitting in a neighbor's cellar hearing missile whooshing past up above.

Ignorance is a very costly commodity.

Re: Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

#7
>AI

I'm apathetic. It's there, it's a tool.

>international conflicts

I am fortunate enough to not live in the countries mentioned. I am close to Ukraine so this one is sort-of important to me in terms that I don't want Russia to win, but at the same time there's no point in following the news closely. If something big happens I will most definitively hear about it whether I'd like it or not.

>The US / Europe

Nothing I can do about any of that so no reason to get emotional. The most I can do as an European is to vote. Anything else is entirely out of my control unless I'd dedicate my entire free time and career to change things and I am completely uninterested in doing that.

>the stock market

Invest in index funds and forget it exists. If even that's too much for you then you then just put the money in the deposit. Interacting with the stock market is entirely optional.

>tech sucks

Always sucked. If you don't believe me feel free to go back to any underpowered machine of your choice and use it as a daily driver for a while. Dealing with any tasks on an old PC with a single core processor and 5400 rpm hard drive is pure agony compared to what we have right now.

>How are you all staying sane?

Stop being terminally online and go do something you actually enjoy. Most of the stuff you mentioned doesn't even actually affect you in the slightest.

Re: Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

#8

>AI I'm apathetic. It's there, it's a tool. >international conflicts I am fortunate enough to not live in the countries mentioned. I am close to Ukraine so this one is sort-of important to me in terms that I don't want Russia to win, but at the same time there's no point in following the news closely. If something big happens I will most definitively hear about it whether I'd like it or not. >The US / Europe Nothing…

All of the above.

Stop reading the news. It makes you depressed or angry. Go hiking. Walk on the beach. Play with a dog or your children. Climb a tree.

Leave the slave slab phone at home, or delete every news and social app. Do not browse the web. Take a book and read.

It will be hard at first. Then it gets easier. Best thing I ever did.

Reminder. What passes for news today wouldn’t have registered for most people 100 years ago.

Re: Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

#9
The world at large always sucks. Most enjoyable things in life do not come out of worrying about the world but from things close to you, your family, your friends, your community. Focus more on the things you can actually have an influence on than everything that's out of your control.
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