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

Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 277 posts

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#91

Post by umvi »

tinyhouse wrote: post #38
HideousKojima wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't comment one way or the other on Whole 30, but my wife and I have drastically reduced our sugar consumption and it's made us feel significantly better. Eliminating it entirely is a huge pain, but choosing the lower/no sugar options whenever they're available has helped us cut out probably ~90% of our sugar consumption, and even just that has had a noticeable effect on our health.

Did you only eliminate sweets, chocolate, etc. or also bread, pasta, and all other things that break into glucose.

Just eliminating sources of corn syrup and added sugar is a great first step, IMO. We cut out soda, sweets, and other added-sugar crap (but kept bread, milk, pasta, fruit, honey, etc) and that alone was a big improvement.

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#92

Post by orasis »

ohlookcake wrote: post #61
orasis wrote: post #11

The bad news is it’s going to take a long time to heal. The good news is you can come back happier than you can imagine. In an ideal scenario you would quit working entirely to focus on your health, but I’m guessing this is not an option. You need to focus on the body first. The most important is sleep, but that is also difficult to address directly, so it’s best to focus on diet and exercise. You’ll likely have to d…

I know why I'm burning out, but I don't know what to do with the realisation. The fear of being fired, then broke, and then not being able to survive is real-ish. Advice?

Our minds are conditioned to operate from a place of fear. The fear feeling is real. The fears may even be founded.

The difference is whether you’re existing in the grip of that fear or thriving from a place of love.

You could try reading something like “The Mastery of Love” by Don Miguel Ruiz to get a taste, but the healing has to come through the body and nervous system. You can’t will your way through this.

Edit: Important note: The right antidepressant can help!

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#93

Post by pmoriarty »

Everybody's different, and there are no guaranteed solutions that'll work for everyone.

That said, if your diagnosis is accurate and you have serious occupational burnout, then I'd seriously consider switching careers to something radically different from what you're doing now -- and the sooner the better.

The longer you wait, the less realistic switching careers will be, and then you might be forced to keep working at a job you hate, which can drive some to suicide or severe mental breakdown.

Psychedelic therapy might help, but I wouldn't look at it as a way to become chipper and go cheerily back to work but as a way to have a deep, hard look at your life and reconnect with what truly matters (which might not be work-related at all).

Ultimately, you have to somehow reconnect with the strength and sense of meaning within you, because at the end of it all no one else can fix your life... but having a strong support network can help. Don't go it alone, and reconnect as much as possible with those who you care about and who care about you. But at the same time, friends and family are not trained professionals, and there's only so much they can do, so it's important to find a therapist you respect, like, trust, and can open up to.

Good luck, and I hope this disease doesn't swallow you up like it has so many of us.

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#94

Post by tinyhouse »

H8crilA wrote: post #51
tinyhouse wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What medication is helping you sleep if I may ask?

The psychiatrist prescribed me Trazodone and sticking to a strict sleep schedule. Needless to say those are not over-the-counter drugs so go to a doctor if you need them. Also, in general it was very instructive for me to read carefully the Wikipedia page for occupational burnout.

Thanks. I tried Trazodone but the dry mouth side effect was too much for me.

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#95

Post by l30n4da5 »

ok_dad wrote: post #42

> Should I tell my boss and/or team? No, they will stab you in the back, no matter how much you think they won't. > Should I take time off? How much? Yes, if possible several months or a year so you have time to get fully away from the grind. > Is there something in my working environment I should try to change? Probably reduce the volume of work you are doing or do something that you care about more. > Is there anyt…

> > Should I take time off? How much?

> Yes, if possible several months or a year so you have time to get fully away from the grind.

I honestly do not know a single person who has the funds saved up to do this.

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#96

Post by RangerScience »

whitesilhouette wrote: post #34
orasis wrote: post #11

The bad news is it’s going to take a long time to heal. The good news is you can come back happier than you can imagine. In an ideal scenario you would quit working entirely to focus on your health, but I’m guessing this is not an option. You need to focus on the body first. The most important is sleep, but that is also difficult to address directly, so it’s best to focus on diet and exercise. You’ll likely have to d…

This is a very good list. I'll add my to 2 cents to this. 1. Don't do any addiction. Alcohol, Psychedelics nothing. That's another spiral you won't be able to climb out from. 2. Taking some time off is the easiest way to figure out your l life. You will soon be able to realise your priorities in life. I'd say 2 months is good enough a time. But the most important thing is to not attempt doing any work stuff during th…

Addiction is more of a behavior than a substance (although they are definitely related). Exercise, sex, gambling, work... all can become something you're problematically dependent on. Your therapist should know much more.

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#97

Post by cassianoleal »

giantg2 wrote: post #89
cassianoleal wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you even read the phrase I quoted? It specifically says "do not lead to _dependence_ or _addiction_".

Yes I read it. Do you understand the difference between chemical and psychological addiction? "People abusing mushrooms can become dependent by believing that they need the drug to maintain a sense of enlightenment or happiness." https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/hallucinogens/psilocyb... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29098666/

I do and I never claimed either _never_ happens. That's what the "generally" [0] bit in the text means.

[0] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/generally

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#98

Post by sulam »

ok_dad wrote: post #42

> Should I tell my boss and/or team? No, they will stab you in the back, no matter how much you think they won't. > Should I take time off? How much? Yes, if possible several months or a year so you have time to get fully away from the grind. > Is there something in my working environment I should try to change? Probably reduce the volume of work you are doing or do something that you care about more. > Is there anyt…

> No, they will stab you in the back, no matter how much you think they won't.

At the end of the day, the business has to do the right thing for the organization, even when that's not to the benefit of an individual in the organization.

That said, "the end of the day" is not the beginning. Yes, some people will behave the way you describe. It can be hard to be sure you can trust another human being who you know will be forced to fire you if you can't do the work they hired you to do, at least on a long enough time frame. But not everyone will "stab you in the back", I can promise that.

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#99

Post by TameAntelope »

I'll throw this out there: Don't let any potential diagnosis drive your behavior. Do what feels right for you, because that's more important than trying to conform to any specific "remedy" that's commonly paired with what you're told you "have".

For example, if taking a break would create even more stress (financial stress, boredom stress, etc), don't do it.

But more importantly, do what your doctor says, up to and including ignoring all advice here!

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. What Now?

#100

Post by terminatornet »

> Should I take time off? How much? Or should I try to work reduced hours? I'm hesitant because I don't have many hobbies (if any) and in the middle of the pandemic there isn't much to do anyway. I don't think running out of things to do would be any better for my health than continuing as-is. I've been there before and I don't handle boredom well.

I had a similar mindset, I've been very cautious with regards to covid and haven't taken a real vacation since 2019. Since I banked a lot of PTO, I ended up taking every Friday off from September until January. I still have feeling of burnout, but it definitely helped to lessen it.

It can feel like a half-meausure, but it may be one that doesn't feel as extreme for you or you boss/job which may be helpful.

Post reply on HN