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Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

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Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#71

Post by BxGyw2 »

2devnull wrote: post #66

Sometimes this can be a sign you need to put more energy into the spiritual side of your life. Many people find faith important to their mental well being. As society has abandoned its religious foundation, mental illness has increased. Perhaps psychosis is the mind’s way of saying, there’s more to all this.

Something that helped me with this is reading and realising that spirituality / faith is not necessarily the crazy people knocking at your door with a moral code to sell and can be grounded in reality and lived experience ;)

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#72

Post by BxGyw2 »

INTPenis wrote: post #69
BxGyw2 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time I've felt like this it's been time for a change of responsibilities. Are you stagnant?

That's a really good point, yes. More than a decade with the same employer. But at the same time that employer provides such job security that it allows me to travel the world (which I just started) and still work. So that's kinda keeping me there. That is also what is motivating me to get back on track because I have a goal now, to travel, and my job is financing that, and the freedom my employer provides is making…

It's tough hey - I'm in the exact situation you're in right now - got my resume open on the other screen. I think it's important to always remember (jobs, relationships, any situation really) that although it can be hard to see outside your own situation the world is inconceivably large and numerically it's super unlikely that you can't find a day job equal or better than the one you're in. Good luck with the hunt dude

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#73

Post by SpeedilyDamage »

2devnull wrote: post #66

Sometimes this can be a sign you need to put more energy into the spiritual side of your life. Many people find faith important to their mental well being. As society has abandoned its religious foundation, mental illness has increased. Perhaps psychosis is the mind’s way of saying, there’s more to all this.

Counterpoint: some might consider a lot of the aspects of many faiths as exacerbating to a mental health disorder. Plenty of mental health issues center around faith and specific religions, even.

I think society is at a net positive for leaving "faith" behind, but spirituality can exist in the absence of any specific religion [0].

[0] https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/13/spirituality-kris...

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#74

Post by INTPenis »

I just want to reply to OP that I remember bursting into tears once at my first job back around 2006, and it was clearly burnout.

It was my first burnout so it wasn't so clear back then, but in hindsight I had been working until midnight just because I was so eager. I was 18 when I got the job in 2004, dropped out of school, suddenly had access to all the bandwidth and servers I ever dreamed of.

So I thought I was staying late for me, but it was wearing on me. One day the boss and my mentor were fighting and I just ran out the door because I felt these feelings well up inside me, sat in the stairwell crying.

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#75

Post by send-marbles »

Yes, a couple of years ago. The story bears close resemblance to yours. Layers of stress at work and in personal life. No drugs were involved. I'm still recovering emotionally, mentally and financially. It was life-threatening.

I now dread taking on resposibilities or even reaching out to people I lost contact with, fearing a relapse of sorts. Therapy wasn't particularly useful, maybe because I got myself to go after I was already snapping out of it. My guess is that it sort of "just happens" to some people under the "right" circumstances.

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#76

Post by John23832 »

Yes, I have. Sadly, it's more common than it should be.

I'll say this is even more acute if you're a man. We can't _really_ complain about work. We have to suffer in silence.

Startup. I'm a technical cofounder with a non-technical cofounder (guy with money who wants to build something) and another less technical cofounder (PHD research type, not a builder). Working from home, I did everything. Built, hired, managed, designed product, assisted the ML team with their shit, managed the ever increasing grandiose scope of the business guy.

In the process, I lost my GF, it affected my health (both mental and physical), family things happened in life and I was royally burnt out. I'm back to work now (somewhere much more steady), but there was a 3 month period where things were _really_ touch and go.

It gets better. Focus on you. To hell with everything else. You can't be great (whatever that means to you), or get better, if you don't cultivate yourself first. Everyone outside of yourself with keep taking until you say no.

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#77

Post by spaceman_2020 »

I’ve had two breakdowns. The first was out of the blue and had no real immediate cause. It left me with a perennial feeling of anxiety, paranoia and depression that lasted almost 8 years. It was only fixed with medication - a 3 month course of SSRIs that miraculously brought my back to my old self almost immediately.

The second breakdown was precipitated by medication - withdrawals from Gabapentin, a medication prescribed for nerve pain. While seemingly benign, this medication causes some awful, awful withdrawals, including interdose withdrawals that are akin to benzo withdrawals. And I’m apparently hypersensitive to this stuff.

I spent two months depressed, anxious, suicidal, and feeling like I have no control over my mind.

It’s 1-1 for medication so far. One short course of SSRIs saved me. One short course of Gabapentin ruined my for months.

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#78

Post by [deleted] »

INTPenis wrote: post #67

I've just become completely lethargic lately. And there's some sort of mental block stopping me from working. It's kinda insane because I can work on other stuff, but as soon as there's a simple task for my employer my mind just wanders off. And when I really try to focus I just go blank in my head. Can't explain shit. I'm trying to slowly get back on the pony just because I'm ashamed of all the salary I've collected…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Did anyone else lose their marbles?

#79

Post by John23832 »

INTPenis wrote: post #67

I've just become completely lethargic lately. And there's some sort of mental block stopping me from working. It's kinda insane because I can work on other stuff, but as soon as there's a simple task for my employer my mind just wanders off. And when I really try to focus I just go blank in my head. Can't explain shit. I'm trying to slowly get back on the pony just because I'm ashamed of all the salary I've collected…

You're burnt out. We've all been there.

Focus on yourself to get better. As far as work, break tasks down AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE. Do a portion and pat yourself on the back. You'll be able to build up from there.

Part of burnout is seeing a wall of work and your body/mind having an adverse reaction to it. You need smaller portions to get back on the horse.

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