Dealing with tough times

[a1tn]

So I am interested to know how you guys deal with tough times (death of a loved one, etc.)

Do you just keep programming? Binge watch netflix, or what?

Also I can't wait to see these forums blow up and have discussions with hourly or heck minutely replies.

[Falco Girgis]

Usually I try to code my ass off, but depending on my mental state, that's not always possible. Sometimes I take adderall/oxycodone which definitely gives me a dev fury and helps take my mind off of it (though I'm not condoning drug abuse).

If I'm too reested to code, I always default on playing video games and reading books that are intellectually engaging. Physics, neuroscience, something to where I feel like I'm learning and progressing even though I'm technically reesting.

[MMoebiusX]

Totally agree,

Educational procrastination is a great way to do nothing while improving knowledge (win win).

For even harder times just talking to friends about nerdy shit helps, even if your not talking about the actual problem.

I take Ritalin(for adhd not a drug use thing, some over-medication may have occurred but should definitely be avoided) which helps to concentrate and zone out on whatever my current project is and disappear into it, but needing it is a bit of a all round bummer, would only advise it if you been verified a crazy out of the box mother fucker by a doctor....(excuse my language).

[Thel]

I have OCD, though the symptoms can be paralleled to those of ADD. I use 5-HTP and caffeine/coca tea to manage the symptoms, but the efficacy of these supplements is, frankly, meagre as to be ineffectual.

I have really high standards of cleanliness, and upholding these standards demands a colossal amount of energy. If I can’t give 100% of my being to whatever it is I care about, then I just give up. It’s all or nothing. Sadly, those bursts of energy come in very small doses, and they can be several weeks apart. The only thing I can do is seize those moments—transient though they may be—so at least I have something to show for it—something to remind me that my insanity is just as much a blessing as it is a curse.

I have begun frequenting the library during those intervals of depression, so at least I feel as though I'm learning, even though I'm just—as Falco gracefully puts it—reesting. But that’s better than browsing YouTube, sleeping, or generally being a lazy fuck.