Burn out is nasty. I had several friends and family that have it. Step 1 is acceptance. 2. Be aware 3. It never goes away and dare to ask help. So if I cantaloupe you with anything just ask I be here for you
Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
181–190 of 344 posts
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#182Giving you a big hug. I have been through really rough periods and as my health took a big toll, the only means I had to recovery was to move away from crazy startup life. Gradually I understood that, maybe, there is a better balance. I still want to learn, grow, solve problems, dream big. Instead of making 3 year plans, I started making 10 year plans. I started taking care of my health, like it is the most important…
your life is pretty good.
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#183Join a gym, one with real barbells, do Starting Strength for six months, getting physically exhausted 3 or 4 times a week does wonders for your mental health. I didn’t believe it until I did it.
This also works, at least for men. Idk what it is, almost meditative rest between the sets, higher T, or making routine physical exertion easier due to being stronger. It does take some willpower though, which severely depressed/burned out people might not have.
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
Indeed! I had it there, then revised as "being active" as I think a lot of people get distracted and discouraged by the the contrived, abstract thing that is modern "exercise". I personally enjoy exercise as a hobby, but doing some productive labor, commuting or running errands by foot/bicycle, engaging with active kids, etc, can all hit the same mark in terms of ongoing wellness.
People on HN either hate exercise because they associate it with the old nerd vs jock battles OR they are absolutely obsessed because it’s just hacking on a big blob of meat
It's funny because it's true.
Front-enders get surface body modifications. Ink and piercings.
True engineers know that the worthwhile body modifications are a resting heart rate sub 45, or being able to bench double their body weight.
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#185I could be wrong, but burnout happens for any/all of 4 reasons:
1. Lack of complete focus and not prioritizing daily jobs
2. Multitasking
3. Trying to do almost everything by yourself instead of delegating
4. Not asking for help
I would also like to point out that self-doubt in your abilities, questioning your confidence and "I can't do this" mentality are detrimental to your mental health.
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#186I am currently working for Boeing and its a disaster. I get constant hell from my manager because i stop at 40.
Just tell him sorry, our messaging systems are incompatible until we both are on Office 365, didn't get your IM. Should be good for at least a few more years at this rate.
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#187you might have long covid
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#188Early on in my career (I was a late bloomer and already in early 30's) as a developer, I got burnt out pretty bad twice. After the second time and teetering on a third, I knew I had to do something to change what I was doing and how I managed my work load. I just focused on getting MY stuff done and that was it. I stopped taking on other's people work. I stopped taking on more work once I got my stuff done. I would d…
> Laptop is off for the entire weekend. I turn it back on right before my meetings on Monday. Separating my personal life from my work life with a hard delimiter was paramount.
That sounds like a good philosophy for work-life balance. I sometimes work evenings or weekends, but it might be a bit different since I don’t work at a company but at a university, so my work hours are a bit flexible. I have had burnout before, especially during Covid home office.
A big improvement for me was:
- Regardless what’s going on, have at least one day per week when I don’t work at all (usually Saturday) and never pull all-nighters (no work after midnight);
- Stop syncing work email to any mobile devices, and close the mail app on my laptop outside standard working hours. (This does wonders for destressing.)
- Track the amount of time you “try to work” (e.g. how long you have your work laptop open). Note that this is not the same as tracking e.g. “focus hours”. Keep an eye on it and don’t let it accumulate too much per week.
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#189Earlier quoted context omitted.
100% This is so important. I have a 3yo and wife, I currently work for a series-A startup - It's incredibly easy to do things out of hours, answer messages, train, lab things up, etc... But at the end of the day that is a part of my career. So except for when I'm traveling for work, I don't do a GD thing past 5pm, unless i choose to. When I choose to, it's likely because a lot of my team is in IST time zone rather th…
You've said it twice, and I'll reiterate it a third time. Your own well being has to come first. You can't deliver on the rest of your commitments if you neglect your own needs. Being a martyr does not serve those who depend on you.
If you can’t love yourself how are you going to love someone else?
Re: Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care
#190Early on in my career (I was a late bloomer and already in early 30's) as a developer, I got burnt out pretty bad twice. After the second time and teetering on a third, I knew I had to do something to change what I was doing and how I managed my work load. I just focused on getting MY stuff done and that was it. I stopped taking on other's people work. I stopped taking on more work once I got my stuff done. I would d…
I'm really curious, how do you factor in time to learn ("up skill")? I'm a self taught dev with 2 young kids. I've always had a healthy approach to work, but now I'm feeling quite a lot of pressure to learn new things on my own time, whether to make sure I'm prepared for the interview circuit if I get laid off, or to patch my skills that are needed at work. I'm starting to feel burnout creep in, getting an hour of st…
Advice from another thread : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41462980