How programmers can quickly recover from "professional burnout"

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Programmers' work is stressful, fast-paced, and demanding, so it's easy for people to feel burned out, irritable, depressed, and exhausted.

Programmers are under great pressure, have a fast pace, and have heavy tasks, so it is easy for people to feel burnout, irritable, depressed, and exhausted. Programmers are under great pressure, have a fast pace, and have heavy tasks, so it is easy for people to feel burnout, irritable, depressed, and exhausted.

1. A hearty breakfast - In the whirlpool of the high-tech industry, we often stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning, and then because we get up late and rush to work, we don't have time to eat any breakfast. Or, maybe you can only buy a pitiful bacon sandwich in some dirty breakfast shop on the road. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it's not just about eating breakfast, but what you eat is also important. Eat some healthy foods rich in protein, such as beans, avocados and whole wheat bread. Don't eat white bread and breakfast cereals, which have too much sugar and will make people drowsy.

2. Go to bed on time - prepare for 9 hours of sleep, and make sure you get 7 or 8 hours. Some people think that sleeping is a waste of time - "Why sleep so long before death, you will sleep forever after death" - but in the long run, you will lose more working time due to lack of sleep: eye pain, staring at the screen in a daze, etc.

3. Control your mouth - this point can be combined with the first point as a more comprehensive guide on eating. If you love to eat carbohydrates, sugary snacks, especially sugary drinks, then you will feel that you have recovered quickly in a short time, but you will feel more tired afterwards. You can try to get energy from some green leafy vegetables and fruits. Of course, if you really need to eat these snacks, then please eat American ones (of course, no sugar can be added).

4. Drink water - When you're dehydrated, your body prioritizes more basic physiological activities, so your brain becomes slow and sluggish. The stress hormones your body produces when you're dehydrated, such as cortisol, can erode your energy levels and make your brain go haywire. Dehydrated workers are said to be up to 12% less productive.

5. Talk to your boss - If you feel that your productivity is declining, then you might as well talk to your boss and see if there is anything obvious that can be done. If you are doing something you don't like or are not very good at, then maybe you need to switch to a fresh project. If you are a backend developer, but you find that you are beginning to get tired of tinkering with pixels, then change your job. These are all things that can be discussed with your boss.

6. Manage your time better - If you find yourself adapting to a different project, codebase, or even language every hour or so. Or, if you find yourself always staying up late to catch up, then I suggest you take 10 minutes to write down your to-do list for the day in advance. Start with the "quick wins". When we encounter some trivial bugs, we often choose to procrastinate and then keep worrying about them. From now on, move these stones little by little every morning - this will not only make you feel unstoppable, but also reduce the stress you carry throughout the day.

7. Take regular breaks - This one seems obvious, but programmers in this industry always think they are superhuman, working at lunch, from start to finish, without a break, and even going to the toilet seems like a burning ass. However, this will reduce your productivity in the long run. Play a game, drink a cup of coffee, squat on the toilet for an hour. Whatever it is, as long as it allows your brain to rest. Programming is a mentally exhausting mental work. You may not be able to go to the gym or exercise continuously, but you can take a break. This may be the secret to making your brain stand out.

8. Exercise - This one is pretty obvious. Try to get into the habit of exercising regularly, even if it's just a brisk walk, preferably in the morning, because the morning is the most important part of the day. The endorphins released by exercise can reduce stress, get more oxygen circulating, and keep your attention sharp.

9. Take a break from coding - If you are like me and you use software and technology as your reason for living, then you may have Vim open while reading this article. That's good, because it is this madness that creates the gap between ordinary programmers and great engineers. But sometimes you also need to pause for a while and do something else. As the saying goes, a little absence is better than a new marriage. Sometimes, I don't touch my laptop for a whole weekend. I suspend the code in my mind, spend time with friends and family, go out to eat, watch TV, and even have a drink. However, when I return to the office on Monday morning, I can't wait to start working. The boring and annoying bug last Friday has transformed into a fun challenge.

10. Mindfulness – This buzzword has been all over the tech industry for a while now. Even just 10 minutes of meditation at the beginning of the day can help you feel calmer and more focused.

11. Don’t work overtime – Unless you hate life, don’t stay up until 11pm every night doing non-specific tasks just to impress your boss or surpass your colleagues. This is not wise because it will drain your energy. If your boss expects you to work overtime every day and compromise the quality of your work, then they are creating an unhealthy work environment. If this is your own initiative, be careful of the long-term consequences.

There is no magic bullet for treating burnout, and developing the habits I mentioned above won’t happen overnight. So start small, take it one step at a time, and keep track of it if you need to. Think long term. And finally, if you still have burnout, consider seeking some professional help. There’s nothing to be ashamed of!