Hacker News Reader

Comment by intheletter1 | Hacker News Reader

Uhg, I am in that exact situation right now. I've done the therapy thing in the past, didn't help. Meds in the past seemed to help but hard to isolate them as THE factor that helped me out of a rut. So now I feel out of options.

I am so burned out. So much on my plate, so much work to do, and literally not one neuron fires to get me going. My memory and mental function, at an all time low.

I gotta believe this just goes away, otherwise I lose my job for sure.

View on HN

Ask for a sabbatical.

Take a month (or better yet, three). It will benefit both you and the company. Discuss options here, and whether or not it's paid (or paid partially).

It's a hard ask and a really hard conversation to start, but it sounds like you need the time.

I've just started my 3rd month of sabbatical. It's wonderful. Best money I've spent.

Ya'll are lucky that you can afford therapy. There are many who cannot and whose insurance won't pay for it.

I believe that lack of access to mental health care is one of the fundamental problems with modern society.

I would absolutely concur.

There's never going to be one factor that gets you out. It's a combination of tools working together that makes it livable. For me it's meds, exercise and social contact.

Meds might help your present chemical situation but they're not going to change the mental ruts & habits your brain has formed (eg. I'm stressed, I want a cookie/beer/etc. I made a mistake, I'm so stupid).

Therapy can help you understand and notice those patterns, why they formed, and what you can do to gradually correct them, but you'll have a hard time if you're going uphill against your brain chemistry.

This book really helped give me a framework for understanding the exercise part of it: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Full-Engagement-Managing-Perfor...

And of course, like physical pain, in some situations mental illness is a signal the body is sending that something in life isn't right. I've had some serious depressive episodes evaporate as soon as I broke off a toxic relationship (personal or professional).

Happy to chat more in private if you want.

Yep, I'm in the same boat as GP. I am currently exiting to take several months of rest. I might even cook/bake again, part time, if I get restless.

While I'm very happy that the author seems to be getting what they need, a day or even week here or there is not fixing my problem. I've always been the kind of person anyways who doesn't really settle into a vacation or travel excursion until around week 2, so maybe I just move more slowly.

Eventually I would like to contract again (been salaried for a few years now). I am lucky enough to have a partner in a different, but still also well-paying and in-demand industry, to help with finances. We live minimally anyways, so I'm hoping it wouldn't be impossible to maintain our quality of life without working myself to death chasing leads and payments. Partner is trying to do something similarly unorthodox. We have no aspirations for hockey stick growth or jackpot payouts, we just want to enjoy our lives while we can, while creating and helping in a way we like.

Edit: meant to reply to the comment regarding sabbaticals below.

Have you tried various types of therapy or different therapists? In my experience, in order for therapy to be effective, I need to form a kind of trusting relationship or bond with the therapist. There are _many_ different techniques employed in modern therapy; trying different things to find out what works for you is key.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com