3 Self-Care Practices That Will Make You a Better Developer

Let’s face it – talking about mental health can awkward at times – while it shouldn’t be harder to talk about an ordinary infection, it simply is. With that being said, mental health seems to be a larger issue for certain professionals than others.

As you already know, web development requires a ton of creativity. Unfortunately, a 2015 study published in the Nature Neuroscience journal suggested that creative professionals are 25% more likely to suffer from a mental illness.

Mental Self-Care is Essential for Your Career

Now, keep in mind that mental health issues don’t have to be severe to affect your life. As a matter of fact, stress from working hard can have a huge impact on your output. Moreover, sometimes you feel too overwhelmed by things happening in your personal life to perform your job.

There are different ways that web designers can choose to address all of the mental health issues they’re struggling with. You’re ultimately responsible for making your own mental health decisions. Here are a few ways you can cope with your situation at work.

How Can You Solve Your Problems?

1.      Start Meditating

While the first suggestion may sound a little cliché, trust us, it works. Meditation can do wonders for your mental health – there are numerous scientific studies that back that claim up – but you need to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t.

Mindfulness meditation, for instance, is all about being in the moment. The best thing about mindfulness is that you can do it basically anywhere, anytime. You can do it while you’re driving to work, waiting in line at your grocery store, or while you’re sitting at your desk.

Meditation is all about discipline and focus. You can just repeat an ordinary phrase or look at an inanimate object to focus. The point is, you need to find a way to bring all of your attention to your surroundings and focus on what you are experiencing at the moment.

2.      Take a Few Days Off

What you need to realize is that burnout doesn’t happen overnight. And that’s why it’s so easy to miss the early warning signs. Once burnout hits you, the mental and physical exhaustion takes over your life: lack of sleep, anxiety, and chronic fatigue are just some symptoms of burnout.

That’s why, as soon as you start feeling even a little bit worn off, you need to take a couple of days off. If you earned some time off at your job, you should take it as soon as possible. And while some organizations make it difficult for you to find a way to get away, you should try to find a way to distance yourself from your work.

A few vacation days will give you that piece of mind you need to refresh your senses and motivate yourself to work. That way, you’ll be more productive than ever. You don’t even have to go to a tropical island to unwind – a few days lying on the couch will do just fine. And if you have any problems with sleep apnea, head over to snoringmouthpiecereview.com to find a device that will help you relax fully.

3.      Find Someone to Talk To

If you’re not into meditation and you can’t take any days off, but you’re still feeling too stressed to work, you should definitely find someone to talk to. Verbalizing what you’re going through at the moment will allow you to relieve stress and get some weight off your shoulders.

What’s more, by putting your feelings in words, you’ll be able to spend a lot less time focusing on your problems. Another person will also help you get a brand new perspective on your problem. Sometimes, we’re not capable of seeing things the way they are by ourselves. Ultimately, talking to someone will help you let go of your problems and move on.

You can always talk to one of your friends or your spouse, but if you’re really feeling worn out, you should seek out professional help. Just remember – you’re not alone – most professionals go through same problems from time to time. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid to open up to someone.

The Bottom Line on Self-Care

Even though mental self-care is not easy, when you break it down, there’s a ton of strategies that can help you overcome your issues. The strategies we mentioned above don’t take up too much time. As a matter of fact, they will only steal a few minutes from your day.

Over time, those minutes add up to hours, weeks, months, and years. So if you manage to set up a number of self-care habits, after a while, you’ll stop thinking of them as self-care strategies anymore. In the end, adopting healthy habits – both mental and physical – will help you be as productive as possible.