Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 63 posts

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#31

Post by unlmtd »

I'v read HN for a few years, but created an account to answer you.

First, get some pure LSD and take about 250 micro grams, by yourself in the morning where you won't be disturbed. I'd bring my laptop and open my editor.

Cut out completely, in descending importance: - Alcohol - Tobacco - Refined sugar - Coffee - Grains (wheat, rice, barley, etc)

Reduce: - Marijuana - Reading/watching News

Bring in: - Clean water - Greens - High-intensity Strenght training, Weekly(See Dr. McGuff) - Stretching, daily, 5 mins(Yoga has good exercises) - Opium/morphine, if thirsty for alcohol/tobacco/MJ (30mg morphine per day max.) - LSD once every few months

Good luck. If you ever get to suicide, let me know first. Edit: Formatting

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#32

Post by JamesBarney »

I would suggest talking to your wife. It might be feel like you're trapped but you're not. I bet you'll be surprised with how understanding she is. And if you ignore this situation chances are it will get a whole lot worse before it gets any better.

And start as quickly as possible, the longer you wait the longer it will take you to recover.(Some people on HN who tried to push through it took years to recover)

I would really reflect on what in your life is a necessity. Ex. moving in with parents, or wife working etc...

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#33

Post by colorincorrect »

shireboy wrote: post #25
colorincorrect wrote: post #16

As a psychologist/cognitive scientist, I personally advise 1. Exercise 2. Meditation in the morning (it works!) 3. Stay healthy! It affects your mood a lot (especially having a regular sleep schedule) 4. At least for now, reevaluate your long-term goals and how to achieve them 5. Don't work for such a long time period (especially if its not engaging).

As someone who shares a similar situation as OP, I know these things will help, but in real life, feel they are a little simplistic. Exercise often gets sidelined because I work late, have some other activity, or am sick. Staying healthy is a great idea too, but I've had colds on and off since November. An infant and two potty training kids mean a regular sleep schedule is difficult. Yes it affects my mood, but unles…

Yes. In practice advice from others tends to be hard to follow because there isn't as much motivation compared to you discovering the wisdom to follow by yourself.

If you feel this way, then perhaps the follow up question would be: what else were you expecting? After all, its a bit unfathomable to imagine an easy solution for your big problems.

Constantly feeling really shitty is usually caused by some kind of negative feedback loop. If you are aware that you are deeply entrenched in a negative cycle, then you have to find some way to break free of it.

imho this is why the "this too shall pass" or "take a vacation" approach isn't always good, because typically what will happen is that you will return to the very same environment that induces such a negative cycle.

Something that I would used to do is to seize some opportunity to do something different that day and see where it would lead me, even if it seems a bit pointless at first. (but don't do something different for the sake of being different! you gotta "want" to do it!)

Most importantly, if you know an approach can make your situation less shitty, than start the change now! You will only feel more shitty if you know you can change it but didn't do so because of lack of motivation. In this sense, the most rational thing you can do now is to implement the change you know will help your situation.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#34

Post by mleonhard »

I had a vitamin D deficiency which robbed my energy for several years. Since I started taking 1,000 IU Vitamin D every day, I have had much more energy and my "bad" days almost disappeared. This changed my life. I will take Vitamin D supplements for the rest of my life.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U3Y8OM

This is an easy thing to try. You can pick up "Nature Made Vitamin D3 1000 IU" at Walgreens tonight.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#37

Post by kwhitefoot »

First thing is to stop working 60 hours a week. Then when actually working work slower and focus only on the minimum that needs to be done. I've recently had some somewhat similar experiences and am quite certain that working harder is not any part of the solution.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#38

Post by jonny_storm »

I'm a freelance consultant, and I know all to well the danger burnout represents.

I don't know whether being salaried still confers the level of support it once did, but admitting your situation to management (if it's not unwise) and leaning on coworkers may be the best way to gain relief.

There is a kind of grace in yielding completely to the forces that drove you to your breaking point and acknowledging that mastery over your circumstances is not total. Relieving yourself of the burden, if only a short while, helps immensely, but it needs to be the whole burden and not just a part. In my experience, anything short of this only prolongs the suffering.

Much has already been said that I agree with, and so I offer my support and wish you well.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#39

Post by Rekaiden »

If you're working 60 hrs/week programming, you do not have a great job. If every line adds lots of problems but no one can help you figure out what to do next, you do not have a great job.

Work fewer hours. You won't even be getting less work done (or do you need overtime for some financial disaster?).

Track everything that needs to get done.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

#40

Post by saddestcatever »

mleonhard wrote: post #34

I had a vitamin D deficiency which robbed my energy for several years. Since I started taking 1,000 IU Vitamin D every day, I have had much more energy and my "bad" days almost disappeared. This changed my life. I will take Vitamin D supplements for the rest of my life. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U3Y8OM This is an easy thing to try. You can pick up "Nature Made Vitamin D3 1000 IU" at Walgreens tonight.

Anyone else tried vitamin D supplements? I've heard of people taking vitamin D when they're not getting enough natural light (basements, winter months, etc)
Post reply on HN