Coding Through the Storm: My Battle with Burnout

Burnout hit when coding another HTML form made my heart race. That's when I knew something was wrong.

Energy gone. Motivation replaced by cynicism. Everything feels impossible.

Moved to a management position. Chose projects more carefully. It helped, but wasn't enough. I needed to figure out how to actually relax and recover.

I tried everything: quit social media, read fiction, experimented with drugs (legal and not), avoided blue light, listened to ambient music. None of it worked. Eventually, I learned a few things:

• Consuming doesn't relax. Books, games, podcasts—they're maintenance, not recovery. When you're already burnt out, they don't help.
• Less stimuli helps. Close your eyes. Shut out noise. That's why people love noise-canceling headphones.
• Recreational drugs don't help. Temporary relief, long-term damage.
• Sensory deprivation tanks are hit or miss. Sometimes great, sometimes they make it worse.
• Meditation alone isn't enough. It's not a magic bullet. But it taught me something useful: thoughts are just passing clouds. Tasks pile up and feel overwhelming, but they're abstract. They don't define me. Learning not to care about them helps.
• The answer? Sleep. So simple, obvious, always been there. When I sleep, I'm not consuming, thinking, or stressing. I'm off. It's like surgery—actual repair work happens.
• I'm lucky I don't have sleep problems. I know others struggle with it.
• Haven't been dreaming much since burnout started. I think my brain's too busy fixing things.
• Ideal would be: time with loved ones, moderate consumption, sleep like my life depends on it (because it does).
• I'm not there yet. Still trying to balance everything. But each time I sleep, I'm healing. One night at a time.