Developer health (mental & physical)

think we should talk about an important issue in all professiions especially in tech. Which is mental and physical health. Which I think in this profession can be especially overwhelming. Let’s start with mental health.

Our jobs consist of using our brains a lot problem solving and trial and error no matter how patient you are, no matter how skilled you are eventually you will succumb to frustration.

The game changer is learning to accept it. Learning to walk away when you need to. Just taking a break and really resetting.

Here are a few tips things I’ve learned. Breathing is big not just normal breathing I mean real breathing. Try this one listed

1. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Your abdomen should expand, and your chest should rise very little.

2. Exhale slowly through your mouth. As you blow air out, purse your lips slightly, but keep your jaw relaxed. You may hear a soft “whooshing” sound as you exhale.

3. Repeat this breathing exercise. Do it for several minutes until you start to feel better.

Know your limits and when to walk away learn the difference between your flow state and when you're burnt out. HOURS DO NOT EQUAL QUALITY. Read that again. Sitting in front of your computer half paying attention is not nearly as strong as sitting in front of your computer for 1 hour completely focused.

Ego and asking for help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help pride is very big in tech it’s easy to go on social media fun see all these “guides” and “tutorials” and think wow. How did they come up with that. I’ll leave a quote for this.

“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.” - Zen Shin

Remember they had to spend time and hours maybe days on those guides and tutorials and yeah maybe they do know more than you. Maybe they do have more languages under their belt. Just remember the quote listed above.

There is a reason there are so many resources for learning code or asking for help. Why? Well t is hard! The developer community is very welcoming just like any community some people can be rude or condescending. That is just how it is.

Let’s move into the physical part I put this second because some of these things will directly support the mental as well.

EXERCISE! I know this is cliche, hear me out. It’s proven that exercise can help your mental state. Now time for the hard part I think this is the hardest part for most people.

Exercise will make you feel better BUT it will make you feel worse first. This is The part they don’t tell you.

Let me explain, if your body is not used to exercise it will need to adjust, it needs to acclimate your muscles will be sore, you will hurt, you will be tired and exhausted. It won’t be easy but if you can get over the first “hump” you will see and feel a difference.

This will also lead to a clearer head and mind making it easier to focus on work it’s also a great release for after work, to blow off steam or just unwind.

You don’t need to run a mile or do 30 minute HIIT training start small walk on your breaks and lunch and after work. If you need to start smaller stand throughout the day when you can just start somewhere.

Next is diet. Yes exercise is good but adding diet with it will really supercharge it. Just think about it how can you get the best out when what you put in is pure toxin?

Start small again small victories lead to big changes. Replace an energy drink with coffee or even better tea, drink one more cup of water, snack on a fruit or vegetable instead of chips or candy. It’s not easy but programming isn’t either yet you manage it every day.

Always eat breakfast don’t skip it even if it’s small it is better than nothing study’s show skipping breakfast leads to bad choices and tend to lead to picking foods higher in sugar and fat later in the day.