I wonder when tech shops are going to start getting performance coach therapists like hedge funds.
Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
91–100 of 271 posts
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#92I deleted all my tweets. Killed the app. Killed the Reddit app. Killed Instagram. Killed Facebook. I need to reactivate FB and do a dump of my data, but I’m dreading that. I just want the photos. I’m finding solace in boredom and using that as a catalyst for change. I’ve been reading more, already finished three books in the last few weeks. I’m on a mission to pour rocket fuel on my personal consulting business. I’m…
Welcome. I spent the last 6 months doing exactly the same thing and was able to create enough time to start the company I've been talking about for years. Social media is a curse on our society's mental wellbeing, even if it can be a very useful tool in spreading important information. I'm actually working on a book which documents my process I developed to do this for myself. Mental models, different perspectives on…
I'd love to read it when you've finished it!
Approaching it from changing mental models, perspectives and learning new skills is how we view mental health issues management/prevention. If you're interested in this angle, you should try out one of our sessions at Mindset. It'd be really great to hear what you think of them.
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#93Everyone should go to therapy. I don't think I've ever met a person who doesn't need to talk things out, from time to time, with a semi-objective, third party. Most of us were raised by imperfect people trying their best who still made a lot of mistakes. Even people who had really prepared parents probably experienced things which might have left us with some unresolved issues. Go see a therapist. Its not a big deal.
Agreed. But therapy often aint cheap. I don’t doubt that tech workers get stressed and seekntherapy. People in other industry also suffer through anxiety and other issues. Probably many (most?) low wage job sectors are even worse for the pressures felt by workers. But tech pays well, so you have the greater privledge there to be able to afford therapy. and so a lot of tech people go to therapy. (As almost anyone coul…
It shouldn't be that someone's income determines whether or not they can get help. We've learnt that a lot more people want help than those who get help due to two main reasons:
- too expensive
- perceived stigma associated with getting help
This is starting to change and I hope it continues
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#94If your job is making you unhappy, therapy will just be a band-aid. The solution is to quit and find something better to do.
Definitely true a lot of the time. You have to find the root cause. And the job itself might be it.
However, you can make a bit of a fine distinction: is your job making you unhappy, or are you unhappy in your job?
If you're doing boring work with no appreciation and low pay, or if everyone else at work is unhappy too, then it's probably the job. At the other extreme, If the things you're unhappy about with your job are the same things you've been unhappy about with every other job you've ever had, then maybe you need to use the therapy to figure out why you are the common thread.
(Actually, those two aren't mutually exclusive. Maybe the job itself is bad for you, but you have a pattern of picking jobs that are bad for you.)
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#95Everyone should go to therapy. I don't think I've ever met a person who doesn't need to talk things out, from time to time, with a semi-objective, third party. Most of us were raised by imperfect people trying their best who still made a lot of mistakes. Even people who had really prepared parents probably experienced things which might have left us with some unresolved issues. Go see a therapist. Its not a big deal.
Agreed. But therapy often aint cheap. I don’t doubt that tech workers get stressed and seekntherapy. People in other industry also suffer through anxiety and other issues. Probably many (most?) low wage job sectors are even worse for the pressures felt by workers. But tech pays well, so you have the greater privledge there to be able to afford therapy. and so a lot of tech people go to therapy. (As almost anyone coul…
[deleted]
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just don't see anything they can do to help. Most of my issues are rooted in mistakes I made and many have concrete origins that aren't something a therapist will fix.
I think it's really more about coping skills these days, as opposed to 'getting to the root of things and erasing them' https://blogs.psychcentral.com/practical-psychoanalysis/2015...
100%, focusing too much on the past can leave you stuck there. Developing coping skills and new perspectives can free you from the past.
It's why our sessions all focus on brief therapy and practical psychology principles.
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#97Every minute spent not fighting climate apocalypse is a fucking waste of time. And I waste most of my time, because I can't find a way to fight while staying solvent (this month I'm buying a roof to fix the leaky one, for instance). In another thread the clathrate gun is about to go off big time https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21026051 Anxiety is pretty warranted when you're literally looking at the end of civil…
Mods can we take care of this? I think this person genuinely needs help or this post was made by a troll. If you view the world this way - you should know it's not productive to the causes you've listed or your mental health. If this isn't a troll post you should seek some kind of help.
Please don't ask whether users are trolling. If there is a violation of the guidelines please flag the comment. HN has two full time moderators that interact with the community regularly. But nobody likes being called a troll.
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#98I deleted all my tweets. Killed the app. Killed the Reddit app. Killed Instagram. Killed Facebook. I need to reactivate FB and do a dump of my data, but I’m dreading that. I just want the photos. I’m finding solace in boredom and using that as a catalyst for change. I’ve been reading more, already finished three books in the last few weeks. I’m on a mission to pour rocket fuel on my personal consulting business. I’m…
I'm in the "anxiety ridden life" mode and can't seem to find a way out. Trying to find a therapist but health insurance doesn't cover mental health. Trying to decide if it's worth paying someone to listen to my first-world problems...
Others might chime in, but I say yes, a good therapis is worth it. What country are you in and do you know why mental health is not covered?
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
This. It isn’t a tech worker thing, it’s a human thing. The $400 I spend for a single session with my psychiatrist (he’s the rare MD who also does and is excellent at therapy — when he retires I’m seriously not sure what I’m going to do) is the best money I spend each month.
Is it a 6 hours session for that insane amount of money?
You think MDs only bill ~$65 an hour?
Re: Anxious tech workers are going to therapy
#100I deleted all my tweets. Killed the app. Killed the Reddit app. Killed Instagram. Killed Facebook. I need to reactivate FB and do a dump of my data, but I’m dreading that. I just want the photos. I’m finding solace in boredom and using that as a catalyst for change. I’ve been reading more, already finished three books in the last few weeks. I’m on a mission to pour rocket fuel on my personal consulting business. I’m…
Great comment and kudos to you, but a couple thoughts on the following:
“Eliminate things from your life that don’t bring you joy and happiness.”
I see this sentiment a lot in the techie self-help sphere, along with corrolaries like “ruthlessly eliminate negative people”. While I understand the motivation and agree it is true up to a point, it can also lead to a shallow and avoidant approach to life if you get carried away with it. Many of the most potentially rich and satisfying aspects of life are also the most dark, difficult, and complex when they go wrong. You shouldn’t always run away.
The trick is to find a balance—sink some roots into the inherently chaotic and often ‘negative’ emotional substrate of life without letting yourself get pulled under. Offset the weight with lightness, but don’t try to avoid carrying any weight whatsoever.