I have noticed scrolling through my Twitter and LinkedIn feeds recently that there are a lot of fellow engineers posting about burnout and how they are taking breaks or vacations to give themselves a little break. I’ll admit that I myself have found myself near burnt-out at times as well due to some habits that I’ve established during the time of COVID. I’d like to address some of the main reasons why Software Engineers burn out or need to step away for mental health breaks as well as some tips that I’ve found dramatically improve both my mental health and productivity as a Software Engineer.

Tips & Habits to Implement:

Exercise: Being a very active person all the way up until COVID hit, I didn’t really think that I was being unhealthy or super inactive. After several months of me justifying why I wasn’t working out, I began to realize that I was gaining unwanted weight, more tired than ever, and feeling really drained every day. I found myself in a routine of sitting all day long behind a screen with little breaks. Exercise is the number one cure for mental and physical fatigue. I recently started going for a run each morning with some light exercising scattered throughout the day and it has made a huge difference in my energy, productivity, and happiness. When we exercise we reduce stress, improve our body's blood and oxygen flow, increase our brain's productivity, and strengthen our body to handle larger loads. Exercise can work wonders on someone like me who typically just sits behind a screen all day.

Take breaks: There is always a hovering pressure in most companies for their Software Engineers to always be producing for them. Often times this can lead many to not take breaks, and if that’s not the reason then we sometimes just get so carried away with a task that we forget to take them. It’s important that developers frequently take short breaks. Stand up (if you have an interchangeable desk, go back and forth between sitting and standing at it), walk around, stretch, give your mind a short break from behind a screen. You will be more productive when you have these short breaks as well as give your mind a little rest from the stress and chaos that work often brings.

Improve your diet: If you are reading this article then chances are you are already taking steps to improve your diet. Take it one step further and look for something else that you can do to improve your health and what you eat or drink. I personally used to drink Dr. Pepper every day. By just making one small change and deciding to not have sugary drinks, but have water instead, I’ve been able to feel a drastic difference in my health and happiness.

Engage with others: Working behind a desk with little social interaction can be difficult, especially with many businesses and entertainment options closed due to COVID. It is still very important to socialize and engage with friends and family. Business Insider posted a fascinating article where they found that people with friends actually live longer than those without. Luckily for us the development community is amazing and it’s very easy to find friends and others willing to 1) play games, 2) build side-projects, and 3) just interact with. Sleep: There is a stereotype in our industry that we don’t get enough sleep. From my experience, I’d say that the stereotype is pretty accurate. It’s important that you get enough sleep so that both your body and mind are well-rested. Whether that’s going to bed at 3 am and not waking up till 10 am, or going to bed at 10 pm and waking up at 5 am. The important thing is that you establish a consistent sleep schedule and stick to it, ensuring you get ~6–8 hours of sleep a night. I recently just modified my sleep schedule to go to bed a little earlier and wake up a little earlier to accommodate my morning runs and I’ve felt the difference in being consistent.

Meditation: Whether or not you are religious, meditation can be a massive help when it comes to mental health. I personally, am religious and do pray, but this is not the only form of meditation. Another exercise that is very effective is to rest and breath. Either sitting or laying down, focusing on breathing and relaxing your muscles can lead to improved oxygen flow throughout your body and muscles. It also gives you a chance to reflect on your day and clear your mind of other worries.

Planning: Writing down what you are going to do each day and sticking to that plan is a great way to accomplish new goals and turn new routines into habits. I used to schedule out my day on Google Calendar but found that it only caused me to look at my phone and computer more which would often distract me from doing what I had planned to do. I switched over to a planner instead called “Passion Planner”. It’s a company that incorporates a nice system for setting goals on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and bi-yearly level in addition to keeping track of your day as a traditional planner would. There are many great options for planning out your schedule, whether that's an online calendar, written planner, whiteboard on your wall, etc. The important thing is that you write your goals and plans down so that you can continuously see them and execute them.

Bottom Line

Be open and supportive regarding mental health. It is okay to take a step away from work if that’s what you need. We should be supportive of our colleagues who need the same. With COVID having been around for several months now, I feel like I will probably see the postings only continue to rise regarding mental health in these coming months. I know that I personally had to do a complete lifestyle overhaul to address my physical and mental health because I could feel myself starting to become overwhelmed. It only takes a few small tweaks to your routines and lifestyle to improve your mental health. You can do it. You’ve got this.

Start today by focusing on just one area that you can do better with: Exercise, taking breaks, diet, sleep, meditation.