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Ask HN: How to fight listlessness and depression due to work?

7 points by vbh21 ↗ HN
I just fail to see why people at my workplace fight over petty issues. It affects me personally that people would be so short-sighted and not see the bigger picture/impact of our work.

At previous workplaces we saw how our work benefitted millions of people(I worked on y! mail) and I was happy being a part of the team.

What has affected my work most is, beyond earning a paycheck, nobody cares. They’re all content and I am the only one who wants to change systems for the better.:)

Obviously this might not fit well over the longer term, but beyond moving to a better workplace, what are some of the tricks you’ve applied to navigate such a workplace where everybody seems to be complacent and not invested in their work as much I seem to be.

6 comments

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breckenedge
I hate petty squabbles over code, but that’s part of every programming job I’ve had. I try to pick my battles and tasks very carefully to avoid needing to work with people who don’t focus on the customer.

And if your colleagues are not as invested in the product as you are, and that’s ok with management, then it’s up to you to let it go. Not everyone wants to do that, and that’s OK.

rnjailamba
I had this situation early in my career, where the main discussion people had was about the company's daily share price in the stock market. I didn't feel alive or wanted working in this environment. I also felt my brain was rusting.

Work is a fairly complex system and getting it to work towards our preferred success function or particular concept of happiness is herculean. I used to previously think that I need to adapt but I've dropped that concept. I go towards opportunities that are primed for what I consider fruitful and satisfactory work in an environment where I can see myself for 5+ years. Only if the particular work really needs me to do it, I do it else drop it. This may sound entitled but I feel its a way of taking care of yourself.

I used to go back to Steve Job's Stanford speech earlier as a cope but it's a good one to watch in your lows.

I was reflecting recently and wrote a piece about the dependencies we sign up for in any professional scenario that potentially hold us back - https://rnjai.substack.com/p/dependency-autopilot

kleer001
How much exercise are you getting? How's the stress level in your personal life? Getting enough sleep?

With those solved the rest tends to fade away into know what you can and cannot change.

vbh21
This is helpful. Thanks!
jacknobody
These ideas about looking after yourself first echo my own thinking. I'd like to add that home cooked meals of fresh organic vegetables and clean unprocessed foods in general will enormously help.

Meditation is known to be an excellent stress relief technique, but be warned - meditation is the thin end of a wedge, which will (asymptomatically) cause you to completely re-evaluate the entire meaning of your life. The long term outcome is likely to involve a considerable improvement in focus, greater enjoyment of day to day life, and for those who seek understanding Enlightenment is possible.

kleer001
You're very welcome!

I wish you all the health and well being. Work shouldn't be a bad stress, it should be play, a good stress.

There's lots of good info on getting started with exercize, intuitive and non, here on HN and elsewhere.