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Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

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171–180 of 232 posts

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#171

I've had severe depression twice and I made it through it but man was it tough. Defecating over 10 times a day. Total body sweat, shivering in bed wishing I would die. Praying all night for relief. My first win was baking a potato more than a month into it. Under normal circumstances I'm a good cook. You sound depressed. Do the right thing with the employer and quit. Say you thought you could push through it, but you…

>As soon as you possibly can, start working on something you 100% agree with. Man, that point resonates with me. I quit a while back due to severe burnout (actually, I think now, boreout) and have been struggling to get enthused about anything. I think what you said here is the core of why I might be done with tech as a profession entirely - I'm almost completely soured with the impact and direction of it as a whole.…

If you hate [war, human trafficking, etc] and live in an honest country one of the best things out there is working for law enforcement or intelligence. You'll use your skills on real problems that matter. Impact and excitement.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. Also several months of medical leave for burnout sounds very generous.

It's a government thing, my workplace had no say in the matter as long as my GP said I needed it.

May I please ask which country? I'm in Europe and I don't have this privilege in my country. Maybe I should move.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#173

> I'm not well off like most people on here, I can survive 4-6 months with no salary Be careful of comparing yourself to what people post online. It's easy to read social media and think everyone else is waking up at 5am, drinking their keto coffee, and making millions with their startup while working as a digital nomad. Even on a tech heavy site like HN I would classify someone with 6 months of savings as very well…

> Even on a tech heavy site like HN I would classify someone with 6 months of savings as very well off.

I'm under the impression most on here make hundreds of thousands of dollars, I make nowhere close. I am saved on this front purely by living in a very low cost of living area.

You're right though, comparison with people online is probably just a recipe to feel bad.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#175

The reality is that deep down in your soul, this is not something that you really want to be doing with your life. Unfortunately in modern society, we have to trade our time and focus, staring at a piece of glass all day, just so we can survive. It’s absolutely insane if you think about it. I’d bet that most ADHD, depression, anxiety is caused because we see no end in sight working on these meaningless tasks. My advi…

>Unfortunately in modern society Not that in ancient societies was any better, your place in society was practically decided at conception: your father was a fishermen, well you know exactly what you will be doing in your life, that you like it or not. Almost all the disorders typical of this new millennium seem to originate from an infinite liberty without a guid, a paralysis analysis of some kind if you like. "What…

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Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#176
It might sound cliche and not based on a professional psychological, but the advice I'm about to give is working at the least. I had been at your position too and it helps.

You are losing and with that state of mind you might be attempted to keep losing, but I don't think you want this to continue, do you?

The first thing is to start winning. Realize that winners keep winning and you are going to be one. Create small goals! Inside and outside work. Move! Do 5 push ups, 10, 15! Doodle simple toons, sing some music! Write a simple game on a simple framework! Sleep on time! Wake up early!

Focus on things you can control. The corporate environment, you cannot control, at least for now. Treat them like a child demanding things to their skewed worldview.

On your firing, you're looking at the worst case. There's a chance to improve, there's also a chance to explore new fields.

If you intend to keep the job, tell to your manager that you are dealing with your problems and your're getting more and more succesful. Fake it till you make it, but stay on the course so you can make good with the job.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jealous. I need this because I've been burned out for like a year doing bare minimum and overeating

Have you considered that overeating is possibly exacerbating your issues? I had serious brain fog/energy issues until I stopped being overweight.

I don’t think they’re overeating voluntarily. It’s often a vicious cycle.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#178

Holy shit doesn't this sound like me. I've quit my job this August because I couldn't work at all, too. Extremely sorry for the following not-really-related rant/oversharing you're about to read. I think I have ADHD too although I haven't been properly diagnosed. I've been taking Strattera (at some point I've switched to generic atomoxetine) which is the only approved ADHD drug in Russia/CIS, but it only helps someti…

What side effects are you experiencing with Strattera?

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#179
hmmm, yknow maybe it's time to really take some time off (2 to 3 months) since you can afford it anyways.

i wont force you to do any shit you dont want to do right now, just chill out for a bit, relax, unwind, unplug.

then come back stronger and better after a couple of months. maybe with mental clarity on where you want to be headed in your career or business, if youd want to eat healthy or exercise some more, if youd want to date better quality of women, if youd want a higher paying job or additional streams of income.

the world is your oyster man, go chill the fuck out when you can afford it. most cant, you can, so make it count.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with burnout and its consequences?

#180

The reality is that deep down in your soul, this is not something that you really want to be doing with your life. Unfortunately in modern society, we have to trade our time and focus, staring at a piece of glass all day, just so we can survive. It’s absolutely insane if you think about it. I’d bet that most ADHD, depression, anxiety is caused because we see no end in sight working on these meaningless tasks. My advi…

>Unfortunately in modern society Not that in ancient societies was any better, your place in society was practically decided at conception: your father was a fishermen, well you know exactly what you will be doing in your life, that you like it or not. Almost all the disorders typical of this new millennium seem to originate from an infinite liberty without a guid, a paralysis analysis of some kind if you like. "What…

> Not that in ancient societies was any better

With the difference that modern society is 10000x wealthier, and yet people are overworked and the planet is being destroyed.

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