Hi, devs! I'm back. I wish I could return with a major success, a discovery, or a new achievement, but no - I gave up on programming for a while. I burned out. Then again, I'm not saying this for the first time (1/2 of the articles are about this), so it's hardly surprising anymore 🤣
What caused it? I don't know. I couldn't even bring myself to look at my code anymore. I ran out of ideas. Sometimes I'd want to get back to coding, but I didn't have the energy to even open VS Code. What is it? Laziness? Procrastination? idk.
So, I wanted to ask you for advice. I've tried everything - getting some fresh air, switching activities - but a strange sense of overwhelm always creeps in whenever I want to code. I haven't forgotten the syntax or the logic. But I constantly fail to start because I don't know what to do. I tried making plans, tried joining game jam teams where someone else was taking the lead - but it was all in vain.
So, what now?
Btw, thanks for the 64 reactions on my article... from June 28th. Wow, so much time has passed! You know, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.
And sometimes it's okay to come back empty-handed.
So, for anyone else experiencing this kind of burnout, my advice is to just get involved with the community again - maybe help some beginners or ask for help yourself... right? lol! I wanted to get advice, so why am I giving it out?! Typical me.
So, what's the point?
I'm saying this because burnout is a very real and common issue, and - honestly - I don't know if it's even possible to fight it. Does it affect your health? In my case, definitely. I've noticed that I feel less joy and more sadness. Basically, I've fallen into the trap of doom-scrolling through entertaining YouTube videos; it's easy to lose track of time and get stuck there.
So, for anyone new to IT: keep this in mind and realize that things aren't always sunshine and rainbows.
Yeah... I guess I've just brought a gray cloud over the whole community.
I guess my question is still the same: how do you start again when you want to code, but the thought of coding itself feels overwhelming? If you've been through something similar, I'd genuinely like to hear what helped you.
Also, nov 18th is my Dev.to account's birthday 🥳