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I know it sounds cliche to recommend that you travel, but I want to offer my personal anecdote; Since I got serious into computers in 2011, I haven't really had a long layoff, at most a week or two away from my computer. In July I finally got a chance to take an extended break. In August I did a 1 week meditation retreat thinking it would help reset things, and while it did help, I noticed when I got back to programming, my stress and anxiety wasn't completely gone, but it was at least more manageable. Then in September, I stopped using my computer, and just traveled with my family for 2 months. Went to 4 different countries. Still kind of traveling but I'm now back to programming. Now that I've returned, I am noticing changes in the beliefs, interests, and pursuits I had just 3 months ago. One curious thing that happened was that I was strongly opposed to a certain programming platform, and a few weeks into my return from holiday, I'm enjoying picking it up. I believe this happened because my long continuous streak of programming never gave me a chance to "cleanse" some of the emotional triggers that would influence my decision making. If you don't take a break, the triggers keep reinforcing themselves. In order to weaken the stress inducing triggers, you have to take a proper break; no more computers. Take a couple of months off, if your finances allow for it. Go have fun, but don't keep engaging with the thing that has caused you some much stress. I strongly believe you will come back to your computer refreshed and you will be able to interact with your machine in a much more neutral way. This in turn will allow you to make better decisions without any baggage influencing them. |