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Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

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Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#51

Post by forgottenpaswrd »

I think you are exhausted and bored. Other people has told you what to do: force yourself to relax, to take vacations or take a break, sleep well, eat well, and exercise.

Read "The power of full engagement" Tony Swartz's. It has a very useful video on youtube.

Force yourself to use facebook or read hackernews ONLY when you had finished your work(evening-night), never when you start it(morning). Your short memory is clean after sleeping(it gets backed up in medium and long memory), and you don't want to fill it with pasive stuff but with active info. Creating something(code, making things, writing a book...) takes way more resources than consuming something(reading code, using things, reading a book or what someone has updated on facebook). You should do what is harder first.

Your work environment should be at the right temperature, if it is too hot(now the north hemisphere), your brain shuts down(so you don't generate more heat), if too cold your body wants to move(not good for programming).

Maybe you are in love, who knows.

Don't worry too much, it's normal, the only problem you face is to know consciously what your mind knows unconsciously as the origin of the problem. Once you know, it will be easy to solve.

Bye

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#52

Post by skalpelis »

If you're getting enough sleep and don't have any other psychological disorders, e.g., depression, etc., most likely it's burnout. A serious lifestyle change should help (e.g., spend 6 to 12 months travelling through Europe, work as a logger in the Canadian wilderness, join the Peace Corps) but, alas, not all of us have the luxury of doing that. Perhaps also just finding a less stressful job might help.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#53

Post by da5e »

jacquesm wrote: post #13

I suffer from the exact same thing from time to time and I've learned to resort to lists when I am like that. Anything I need to do goes on a list and I reward myself with some kind of distraction only after any item on the list gets completed. Usually it's a sign that my mental batteries are running low or even past empty but some stuff still needs to get done. I find that after the third or the fourth item from the…

Good point about underlying issues. Each morning, if I feel distracted; at the bottom of my todo list I make a list of "Bothers". Things that are taking mental energy. I just list them and that seems to help focus. They can be big issues or small, from "where to get haircut" to "where was she last night?"

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#54

Post by forgottenpaswrd »

maqr wrote: post #25

I'll say it: You should do drugs. You're describing a brain problem. It might be caused by poor diet, sleep, life perspective, etc. But whatever the cause, it's a problem in your brain; and it's probably fixable with drugs. If you feel you have an ADHD problem (which is what it sounds like), there's a variety of pills that can correct your symptoms. This quiz is fairly accurate in terms of diagnosis (really, self-ans…

I think this is a very bad advise. Don't use drugs EVER.

Drugs never fix problems. The only hide them. if your body is telling you something, you should fix the root of the problem, not remove the symptoms.

Whatever a drug does(stimulant, depressant...)the body will balance it giving the opposite effect over time(the roller coaster effect).This means instability of everything from mood to chemicals on your blood. Not to mention the body getting used to it, needing each time more and more to cause the same effect and getting addicted.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#55

Post by cammil »

Here's yet another idea:

Your mind and body need to be in balance. I believe this is the essence of the solution.

One factor that I believe is amiss is their speed. It appears that your mind is thinking quicker than your body is acting, and this is causing your discomfort.

There are of course two remedies, and they can both be administered:

1. Speed up your body.

As many here have suggested, anything that increases what you do will be a good thing. Exercise, work, chores, personal errands, etc.

2. Slow down your mind.

Realise that your body is not functioning at the speed that your mind thinks and simply accept it. Your mind will naturally slow down and you will begin to appreciate your task, the present moment, and your life. This will release your body from the paralysis as it now becomes possible, and even enjoyable, to do that which your mind is currently thinking.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#56

Post by da5e »

mahmud wrote: post #7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique Worked wonders for me.

Thanks for the link. I do a less formal version of this sometimes. If I've got so much to do that I can't do anything, I make a list of everything then start doing as little as 30 seconds on each thing and cycle through them till something gets traction.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#57

Post by mannicken »

jawngee wrote: post #28

Marijuana + Exercise. Seriously. I was having exactly the same issues recently, mostly the result of burning out in a giant flame from my last gig. MJ and getting off my mildly chubby ass were huge boons to productivity. YMMV, but it's worth a shot. I'd go for something a long the lines of Sour Diesel or BC Blueberry are strains I've found to really increase concentration and focus without making one lazy or sleepy.

What you want is find out how marijuana works before trying it. Essentially, there are two mainly psychoactive chemicals in a cannabis plant: THC and CBD, each one is more prevalent in sativa and indica strains respectively. THC improves concentration, helps in imagining the problem, and is a hallucinogen (think towards LSD from sober). CBD gives you a couch-lock, makes you sleepy and is a sedative (think towards Xanax).

Sativa-dominant strains will have more THC than CBD and thus help you with your problems immediately.

Also beware that THC is a mild psychedelic so all the "set and setting" rules apply.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#58

Post by BrandonM »

forgottenpaswrd wrote: post #54
maqr wrote: post #25

I'll say it: You should do drugs. You're describing a brain problem. It might be caused by poor diet, sleep, life perspective, etc. But whatever the cause, it's a problem in your brain; and it's probably fixable with drugs. If you feel you have an ADHD problem (which is what it sounds like), there's a variety of pills that can correct your symptoms. This quiz is fairly accurate in terms of diagnosis (really, self-ans…

I think this is a very bad advise. Don't use drugs EVER. Drugs never fix problems. The only hide them. if your body is telling you something, you should fix the root of the problem, not remove the symptoms. Whatever a drug does(stimulant, depressant...)the body will balance it giving the opposite effect over time(the roller coaster effect).This means instability of everything from mood to chemicals on your blood. Not…

I think this is a very bad advise. Drugs can sometimes be good.

For the last 3 years (since a long relationship ended) I was in a bad funk, getting very little done and having a baseline that was a bit depressed, with occasional moments of manic happiness/productiveness.

A few months ago, a new friend told me that I just had to try mushrooms. It was a spiritual, life-changing event. I have since done them 3 more times, and LSD once.

Good drugs (and I guess I basically mean psychedelics when I say that) can teach you a different way of thinking, one which you continue long after your use of the drugs. My life is orders of magnitude better than it was six months ago. I'm enjoying the little things, and figuring out how what I'm doing fits into the big picture of how I'd like to live my life.

I really cannot get onboard with the advice to not use drugs "EVER". Even from an anti-drug standpoint, it's very hard to argue against using pain-killing drugs for the week following a surgery. Drugs have their purposes, and as long as you don't let them take over your life, they can be quite positive.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#59

Post by mtipton »

I'm guessing you are working LOTS of hours. This adds up when thinking is involved in your work[like with programming]. You are most definitely bured out. I'm almost certain. What you've described is a pretty decent description. Being burnt out is a very strange thing. Even though it may not sound quite right... trust me, that is the case... this is the best description of what is going on with your brain- as others have pointed out. It's strange that the term "burned out" is used so widely- yet most people don't recognize what it is or what it's like to experience being burned out. Even first hand (obviously) people most likely may not be able to recognize what exactly is going on.. may take a few weeks or so to realize something is really really wrong and depression could even start to set in at that point if you don't catch it quickly. B-complex vitamins and fish oils can help repair your brain from this type of subconscious distress... BUT the real answer is like minimum 1 week vacation RIGHT NOW. You may want to change your long term routines as well and just make time for lots of non-computer-related things.
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