Ask HN: Is It Burnout or What?

[faceareugly]

Given: Working remotely for 5 years. Two jobs in the same time. For the last 2 years. Working as a techlead\teamlead. Got good salary.

For the last month I can't write any line of code. Can't make any more or less useful decision. Can't analyse any required task at all.

Don't want to think about job tasks at all.

This state of mind more or less recurrent. Every 6-8 month. I'm just sitting in front of laptop all the day and browsing some newsfeeds, youtube, twitter. Shitty.

I feel myself useless and weak. Can see all the people around me doing their jobs with smile. All I want to do is just sleep, play games and think nothing.

I know that's happens quite often and more or less common in industry but I want to hear more personal advices. Maybe it will help.

Thanks for listening me.

[kognate]

You are not useless or weak. You are also more than a collection of job tasks. Working remotely can be very isolating and that isolation can take a toll on your mind and well-being. Self-care isn't something you can skip without consequences. Getting away from the keyboard, getting exercise, spending time with people you care about, taking care of you is a good place to start. Is it burnout? I can't answer that, I can only tell you that other people feel the way you've described and it's not permanent. How you feel is not what you are, and you can (with effort) change your life.

[faceareugly]

The thing I'm considering is quit my jobs, accept playing games and doing nothing for month together with working on my side-project.

[kognate]

You might not have to quit. You may be able to ask for a leave of absence or an extended vacation or something less drastic than quitting. You mentioned in another comment that you are living in a country where language is challenge, that can be very difficult to do. Being cut off from normal communication is a very stressful way to live.

[faceareugly]

Fuck, sounds awful .

[zbentley]

Make an appointment with a mental health professional. They can help you contextualize what is going on (is it burnout? Depression? Maybe something with a physiological cause? Is your current gig not a good place for you?) way more effectively than a forum of your peers. I’m sure many people here can relate to some/all of what you describe, but that doesn’t make them qualified to answer your question as it applies to you as a whole person. Professionals, while not perfect, are much better at doing that.

[faceareugly]

Will try doing it. While it could be a problem, I'm leaving in another country so the language is still the problem.

[coding-columbo]

I totally understand this and you are not alone, I have been remote working for the same amount of time. The thing that helps me is having a separate room and desk that I call an office. I take myself for walks to get 'away' sometimes you just need to reignite your passion be it by doing something new or getting another hobby that has nothing to do with computers.

[faceareugly]

I'm always having problems with "getting hobby". Think I require it for sure but it is not something that easy to get...