[rob2312]

I've been experiencing similar things recently and have also been making a couple of changes to try and help. Removing caffeine/alcohol has been a huge one for me -- initially I found it very difficult to not drink, because I thought that drinking always leads to 'fun'. After stopping, I tried a couple of times again to drink (a couple of glasses and even one total binge session). I've noticed that I just don't enjoy the feeling anymore, and the hangover effects are just not worth what little gain I now get from it. It was journaling that helped me uncover that -- I could track how I felt after days with caffeine, days after drinking, and then the answer became pretty clear to me. Maybe i'll enjoy drinking again soon, but right now I'm content to skip it.

One thing I still struggle with is being able to give myself downtime after work. I always feel the need to be progressing with something -- completing more video games, reading more books, or getting stronger at the gym. I'm not sure how best to deal with that feeling.

[MD3XTER]

Breaking a habit is usually very hard, so kudos to you for stopping. Everything should be in moderation. Alcohol/Coffee can definitely backfire. And taking a break from them even for a short time can make such a huge difference. It will give you that extra mental energy to get on things that can actually benefit you like exercising, meditating or anything else that will be beneficial!

[hacker-smoker]

I have the same issue, with serious migraines if I don't find a way to wind down and stop coding. Vaping THC at night after working out has worked for me. It gets me out talking to my family, playing guitar and singing, and enjoying otherwise boring pastimes like listening to music and watching sports/movies.