Self Care for Coders: Redesigning the way we mind mental health in the digital world
By: Nyssa Curtis
One code that many programmers have yet to master is their own self-care. As the word suggests, self-care is any activity done deliberately to take care of mental, emotional, and physical health. While a simple concept in theory, it is easy to overlook, especially for coders. Unique circumstances and challenges often prevent coders from seeking or getting the help they need. However, failing to make time for self-care can come at a cost to one’s health, leading to issues, such as burnout, stress, anxiety, fatigue, depression, and loneliness. This blog will explore the challenges coders face in practicing self-care and the proactive actions to ensure health and happiness.
Why Self-Care?
The theory behind self-care is that a person must take care of themselves before they can help others. This concept was originally coined in the 1950’s when doctors prescribed their patients activities that they could perform on their own to improve their health conditions (Harris, 2017). Academics then began to further study this concept, believing that these self-care actions could combat the stress brought on by emotionally daunting professions, such as emergency medical technicians, therapists, and trauma healthcare personnel. As time progressed, studies now show that self-care can lead to increases in productivity, disease immunity, physical health, self-esteem, and self-knowledge (Hurst, 2017).
One is the Loneliest Number
Ernest Hemingway once said, “Writing at its best is a lonely life.” Writing code can especially be a lonesome endeavour. Coding takes focus and time alone to think through ideas and solve problems. Creativity is found in time spent alone, but long hours of forced isolation can also bring sadness. Humans need social connections to thrive, so coders need to take extra precautions to ensure this separation from the outside world does not impede their mental health and artistic expression. Finding a harmonious balance between loneliness and creative vitality is key.
One way to do this is to reframe one’s thinking about loneliness. Feeling lonely is 100% ok and normal. It’s often misrepresented as neediness, failure to find friends, or sign of a personal problem. In reality, loneliness is not all bad and can actually be a beneficial driving force for creativity. Time alone spent in quiet introspection can help sharpen the mind and improve our creativing thinking. Many famous creators use time alone as a benefit. For example, Virginia Woolf once wrote in her diary, “If I could catch the feeling [loneliness], I would. The feeling of seeing the real world, as one is driven by loneliness and silence from the habitable world” (“Creativity amid Loneliness,” 2020) Woolf was no stranger to loneliness, as she was often alone confined to her bed suffering through long bouts of illness. However, she found that she was at her most creative self in these painful periods. In another example, writer Henry David Thorough confined himself to a cabin in the woods when he wrote the novel Walden. Though he missed his family, he was able to see the benefit stating, “We must first succeed alone, that we may enjoy our success together.” Loneliness in the moment can feel unpleasant, but finding the silver lining in these moments can transform sadness into a meaningful experience.
Failure, AKA the other “F” Word
Coders are met with ongoing failure, rejection, and criticism. There’s also some sobering statistics that can drain their enthusiasm: 94% of criticism is design related, a person to form an opinion about a website in .05 seconds, and 88% of users will never return to a website after a bad first impression (27 Eye-Opening Website Statistics, 2020; Lindgaard et al., 2006). Additionally, online critics are often more prone to giving harsher feedback than face-to-face. Living with such intimidation can make a coder want to quit. Failure is something that everyone faces and though unpleasant, should welcome as a time for personal growth and a gateway to new opportunities. People who learn to manage setbacks end up making big differences in their careers. For example, Bill Gates was a Harvard dropout, and before creating his first Microsoft product, his first business was a complete failure; Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he wasn’t creative enough; Steve Jobs was fired from his own company; J.K Rowling was turned down by a dozen publishers for Harry Potter. Remember, rejection of the work is not the rejection of oneself (Bishop & Starkey, 2006). Innovation demands that you try.
Feeling the Burn of Job Burnout
According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout is a special type of work-related stress that involves a state of physical or emotional exhaustion and a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity (Know the Signs of Job Burnout, 2018.). Programmers have among the highest rates of job burnout across all professions. Recent studies have shown among 60% of tech workers reported suffering from job burnout (McCarthy, 2018). Coding is not a typical 9-5 job. Coders solve problems sometimes requiring several hours of constant focus in order to diagnose what’s going on. While the challenge is intrinsically rewarding, the drain on our mental energy can put us in a precarious state. The key signs of job burnout are lack of energy or motivation to work, avoidant or addictive behavior, “brain fog” or inability to think clearly, irritation or anger at others, compulsion to overwork, and/or a feeling of guilt that the job cannot be completed without you. If these issues aren’t addressed they can eventually lead to bigger problems such as depression, substance abuse, and coronary heart disease.
If you are feeling burned out, it’s important to take action. While it’s often advised to take a vacation, this is not always feasible and is really putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. To get to the root of the problem we need to 1) change negative thinking- find value in what you do, avoid critical self talk, focus on your accomplishments, and keep a gratitude journal 2) change your workload-understand that it’s ok to say no to projects, set boundaries that don’t overextend you, break down large tasks into smaller more manageable groups. The power of giving back to others has also been shown to be effective at decreasing job burnout. It doesn’t have to be anything big; small acts of kindness like a compliment or a warm smile decrease stress for both you and the other person.
Minding Mental Health
Lastly, it’s important to realize when you need more than self-help alone, and that it is ok to ask for help. For people who are struggling to find the energy or motivation to start making changes to better oneself, seeing a therapist can help break down your goals into easier, achievable steps, and support the goal of making yourself a priority. There is no shame in seeking professional help through speaking with a licensed mental healthcare provider. Just as you would see a medical doctor to treat a broken bone, seeing a therapist to treat a mental health issue is just as important. Let’s face it, being a human is hard. Thank goodness there are people to help!
<Final Thoughts>
Self care is not selfish. It’s ok to take care of yourself and is the only way to have the strength and energy to code another day. There is also no one size fits all approach to self-care. What works for one, may not work for you, so tapping into that creative curiosity to find what brings you joy is vital. Life is not a code; it is a short journey that we all take together. We take different paths and have different chapters in our narratives, but our stories share one thing in common, the need for self care. It is in these purposeful peaceful moments that fuel the fire of inspiration and creativity. Take the time you need to be the best version of yourself.
PS: If all else fails…here is an awesome website with a TON of good self-care resources for developers:
/The End! Thanks for reading! For more information, please check out the phenomenal resources below, which I was grateful to source in the creation of this post.
References
27 Eye-Opening Website Statistics [Updated for 2020]. (2020). https://www.sweor.com/firstimpressions
Andreasen, N. (2014). Secrets of the Creative Brain. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/07/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/
Bishop, W., & Starkey, D. (2006). Rejection. In Keywords in Creative Writing (pp. 139–141). University Press of Colorado; JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt4cgr61.32
Creativity amid loneliness. (2020). The Pioneer. ProQuest Central. http://0-search.proquest.com.library.ualr.edu/docview/2421175095?accountid=14482
Harris, A. (2017). A History of Self-Care. Slate. http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/04/the_history_of_self_care.html
Hurst, K. (2017). What Is Self-Care And Why Is Self-Care Important? The Law Of Attraction. https://www.thelawofattraction.com/self-care-tips/
Kenneth, R. K. E. (n.d.). What is Programmer Burnout? | Hacker Noon. https://hackernoon.com/what-is-programmer-burnout-651aa48984ef
Know the signs of job burnout. (2018). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
Lindgaard, G., Fernandes, G., Dudek, C., & Brown, J. (2006). Attention web designers: You have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression! Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(2), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290500330448
McCarthy, K. (2018). Close to 60 Percent of Surveyed Tech Workers Are Burnt Out-Credit Karma Tops the List for Most Employees Suffering From Burnout. Blind Blog – Workplace Insights. https://www.teamblind.com/blog/index.php/2018/05/29/close-to-60-percent-of-surveyed-tech-workers-are-burnt-out-credit-karma-tops-the-list-for-most-employees-suffering-from-burnout/
Sample, I. (2015). New study claims to find genetic link between creativity and mental illness. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/08/new-study-claims-to-find-genetic-link-between-creativity-and-mental-illness
I appreciate how much time and effort you put into researching this topic! Too often are programmers and developers classified as being unsocial or accused of ostracizing themselves when, really, they’re just livin’ their best code life. And they might, in fact, be lonely and in desperate need of an extra dose of self-care (whether they are willing to admit it or not).
Great post!
Great topic that’s applicable to pretty much everyone in every field. Mental health and self-care are overlooked topics in general and it’s important, I think, for people 1.) to know that they are not alone in these experiences and 2.) how to begin to seek help for themselves. I liked how you were able to narrow the topic down to coding, a field that does tend to be kind of solitary, challenging, and maybe even ‘lonely.’
You clearly did your research.
Thanks for the reminder! I’m definitely feeling the burnout myself right now. You began your blog with saying you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. If you ever get around to dragging yourself through Michel Foucault’s Lectures you will find you are on the same page as a great mind.