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Ask HN: Burned out, depressed, cannot do anything

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

#51

Post by m0llusk »

tygritus wrote: post #49
ideonexus wrote: post #24

I second the exercise recommendation. I started going to bed an hour earlier so I could get up and jog before work each morning. A half-hour jog at whatever pace you can take will do wonders for your stress levels and overall mental health. As a father, getting the family to accommodate me going to bed earlier was difficult, but we were adjusted within a few weeks. Secondly, you absolutely have to get your life back…

What if you're only working 50 hours a week and you're single (22) but feel burnt out (is that possible)?

Even at 40 hours or less people can become exhausted. What matters are abstractions like traction, relevance, independence, and opportunities to demonstrate skills. Being stuck or having a hard time contributing can tear almost anyone down rather quickly.

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

#52

Post by tuyguntn »

ideonexus wrote: post #24

I second the exercise recommendation. I started going to bed an hour earlier so I could get up and jog before work each morning. A half-hour jog at whatever pace you can take will do wonders for your stress levels and overall mental health. As a father, getting the family to accommodate me going to bed earlier was difficult, but we were adjusted within a few weeks. Secondly, you absolutely have to get your life back…

Thanks, for great recommendations.

My main reason to work 60 hours/week is because I am not as productive as I was long time ago. My employer is paying me, but I feel if I work 40 hours/week, then actual outcome is 2-3 hours of work per week, that's why I intentionally increased my work hours.

I agree with you about exercising

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

#53

Post by tuyguntn »

rcavezza wrote: post #9

I think there's a few things you can do. 1.) You should put everything in perspective. You have a job that pays well and a family. A lot of people would be envious. 2.) Working 60 hours a week doesn't do much if you're not productive. I would start coming in 5-10 minutes later or leaving 5-10 minutes earlier each day. See if anyone notices and then keep sliding it. I don't think the hours you put in matter if the pro…

Thanks for recommendations.

I guess in my situation #3 is not an option, because as I already wrote, I just cannot focus on work anymore, adding test cases are work to do. Thinking about #4, probably I should quit from my current job, take a rest for a while, probably get a loan and then come back again, but I maybe wrong

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

#54

Post by tuyguntn »

rrecuero wrote: post #20

One thing that I found always helped was to acknowledge the situation. I think this post is a great starting point. Taking a moment and say "I'm depressed, I am burned out". And it's ok, there is nothing wrong with it. Once you do, you relieve the tension and realize that the situation cannot really hurt you. It happens to everyone including really successful people Like Ben Horowitz, "when you are in the loop nothin…

Agree with Ben Horowitz, I am feeling that I am in some kind of loop, fail, stand up, fail, fail, fail, stand up, a lot more fails again.

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

#55

Post by tuyguntn »

auternach wrote: post #28

Here is my list for treating burn out: 1. Cortisol and adrenaline are your new arch-enemies. Burn out is caused by loss of control at work and other factors that skyrocket your cortisol and adrenaline and keep them high all day long. You must reduce your cortisol throughout the day or you will keep feeling burned out. To end burn out you must replenish your hormones with deeply restful sleep and eliminate the loss of…

I drink too much coffee per day, probably 5-6 cups per working day, how can I stop drinking so much coffee?

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

#56

Post by ideonexus »

tygritus wrote: post #49
ideonexus wrote: post #24

I second the exercise recommendation. I started going to bed an hour earlier so I could get up and jog before work each morning. A half-hour jog at whatever pace you can take will do wonders for your stress levels and overall mental health. As a father, getting the family to accommodate me going to bed earlier was difficult, but we were adjusted within a few weeks. Secondly, you absolutely have to get your life back…

What if you're only working 50 hours a week and you're single (22) but feel burnt out (is that possible)?

That is absolutely possible. I remember getting burnt out many times in my twenties. I think one thing that helps is to remember that burn-out is a temporary phenomenon. If it lasts for longer than a month (and I've experience this), then you need to proactively take steps to try and fight it.

I recently overcame a severe bout of burn-out using the Pomodoro Technique and an Android app on my phone to manage it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

What this did is help compartmentalize my time. If you can focus on your work when it's work time, then you can relax and free your mind when its free-play time. Remember, you don't need to be productive for eight hours straight, just a 25 minute sprint. Then take a break and try another 25 minutes when you are ready to focus again. Pretty soon you'll be getting a respectable 4 hours of productivity in a day and that's more than most people can claim.

Most importantly: keep fighting the burn-out. If you keep facing it as a problem and keep actively trying to find solutions to it, you will get better and more efficient and beating it back when it does arise. I'm really sorry you're experiencing it at the moment, but I sincerely hope you get past it quickly and grow adept at recognizing when it's starting to happen again. You are not alone or even unusual in experiencing this.

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

#57

Post by ideonexus »

tuyguntn wrote: post #52
ideonexus wrote: post #24

I second the exercise recommendation. I started going to bed an hour earlier so I could get up and jog before work each morning. A half-hour jog at whatever pace you can take will do wonders for your stress levels and overall mental health. As a father, getting the family to accommodate me going to bed earlier was difficult, but we were adjusted within a few weeks. Secondly, you absolutely have to get your life back…

Thanks, for great recommendations. My main reason to work 60 hours/week is because I am not as productive as I was long time ago. My employer is paying me, but I feel if I work 40 hours/week, then actual outcome is 2-3 hours of work per week, that's why I intentionally increased my work hours. I agree with you about exercising

I understand completely. I replied on another comment that the Pomodoro Technique has been extremely helpful in fighting off my most recent bout of burn-out:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

I like it because I don't have to think about being productive for 8 hours straight. Instead, I tell myself, "I'll be productive and focused for the next 25 minutes." Then I take a break and try another 25 minutes. At the end of the day, I've found I've been productive for four to five hours (I had to work up to this), which is very respectable. Additionally, I'm much more productive for those 25 minutes than I have been for hours before starting the technique.

As with the other comment, I'm sorry you're experiencing this. And I want to reiterate that you are not alone and not even unusual. You have an important factor going for you in that you recognize you are burnt-out, and can therefore correct the issue. I know coders who have spent years in burn-out mode and their skills have suffered as they stopped learning and stopped growing. Having this dialogue greatly improves your prospects for overcoming this.

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

#60

Post by tuyguntn »

ideonexus wrote: post #57
tuyguntn wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, for great recommendations. My main reason to work 60 hours/week is because I am not as productive as I was long time ago. My employer is paying me, but I feel if I work 40 hours/week, then actual outcome is 2-3 hours of work per week, that's why I intentionally increased my work hours. I agree with you about exercising

I understand completely. I replied on another comment that the Pomodoro Technique has been extremely helpful in fighting off my most recent bout of burn-out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique I like it because I don't have to think about being productive for 8 hours straight. Instead, I tell myself, "I'll be productive and focused for the next 25 minutes." Then I take a break and try another 25 minutes…

By the way, I have tried Pomodoro Technique, its great, every morning I try to start my work with it, after 3-4 batches, someone comes with bug or feature request, or immediate task and I loose whole point of using Pomodoro. But it really helped a lot while fighting depression.
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