Dr. Code — Burnout

Ben
7 min readMar 30, 2024
Photo by Obie Fernandez on Unsplash

In my extensive clinical experience within the realm of software development, I have observed a recurring affliction afflicting many practitioners: burnout.

Symptoms of Burnout

Picture this: You’re at your desk, staring at lines of code that used to dance with excitement, but now they seem to mock you with their monotony. Your body feels like it’s been through a marathon, your mind a tangled mess of wires, and your emotions? Well, they’ve taken a vacation without you. This, my friends, is the dreaded beast known as burnout.

Burnout isn’t just a case of the Monday blues; it’s a full-blown exhaustion, a mental fog thicker than San Francisco’s famous fog, and an emotional rollercoaster. It’s the feeling of being stranded in a desert of motivation, with nothing but tumbleweeds of enthusiasm blowing by.

In simpler terms, imagine trying to muster up the energy to code when even the most enticing distractions seem more appealing than your editor. Burnout is like having a “Do Not Disturb” sign permanently tattooed on your forehead, except it’s not just the world you’re shutting out — it’s your own passion and drive too.

Causes of Burnout

There are many root causes of burnout; such causes include:

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