What are the best ways for software developers to maintain their mental health?

I believe there are many ways for developers to maintain a healthy mental state. Developing is typically a heads down focused role. It is important to come up for air and socialize regularly. Communication and interaction with peers and coworkers can make a huge difference. It's important to have discussions that are non-work related too; keep it fun sometimes! Also, regular and healthy sleep patterns as well as exercise, can help as it's easy to become drowsy over a keyboard all day. Good physical health can be a huge factor toward maintaining strong mental health! Lastly, be realistic! Set attainable goals and deadlines. Allow time for breaks, allow for mistakes and allow for steady learning to keep current. It all helps!

It’s important to set realistic goals and track your progress on a daily basis. This way you’ll have an accurate idea of where you are at and roughly how long would it take you to complete the rest of the work. Often developers get into the trap of the perfectionism. They start trying to get everything look perfect and by the time they’ve opened their first couple of pull requests they are half way through the deadline. This creates lots of stress for delivering the rest of the work, bringing a lot of anxiety.

Have a life away from development, and draw hard boundaries to protect that life. In particular, have hobbies; bonus points for ones that produce physical artifacts. What we build is ephemeral, and frequently the shelf life of what we produce is equal to or less than the time necessary to produce it; having hobbies that produce tangible results -- art, wrenching on things, building things -- can offset the fact that we can't directly touch what we create, and what we create is often rapidly obsolete. Also, get outside. Humans aren't optimized for a life inside concrete tilt-ups.

Rest and recovery are essential for peak mental performance. Take breaks before you feel burned out. Take a 5-10 minute break every 45-60 minutes to rest your mind. Go for a walk, get a snack or do some stretches. Go outside during work breaks to get fresh air, sunlight and mental space. Even 5 minutes helps. Avoid coding in long marathon sessions. Work in focused spurts with planned breaks to stay sharp. Prioritize getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to allow your brain to replenish. Lack of sleep degrades focus. Take regular vacations and time off from work to prevent burnout.

Take a break at least every hour. Get up, get out and move! Just go for a short walk and enjoy the fresh air. It’s not only good for your body, but also for cleaning your mind!

The best code I ever wrote happened when I was away from the computer. Not being able to solve a problem can turn quickly into frustration, and developers (in general) have a hard time giving up on a problem they can't solve at the time, so before you realize you are sitting in front of the computer for several hours without finding a way out. Take a break, breathe, go think about your problem while doing something else. This will not only calm you down, it will help you visualize it in a different way.

Get away from your screen. Got a zoom/teams meeting? Do you really need to be sat at the computer for it or could you go for a walk and dial in from your phone? This small change can do wonders for your mental health. The same works for in person meetings - walk and talk or go get a coffee. A small change of scenery can really help you recharge.

While it may seem like the right thing to do to "push through" when you're fatigued, working without sufficient rest often means you're writing the bugs that you need to fix tomorrow, next week, next month, and beyond. The more fatigued or frustrated you are, the lower your cognitive capacity is. This, of course, causes your work to suffer, both in its quality and in how long it takes you to accomplish things. It is absolutely essential that you learn to recognize fatigue and frustration and step away from your work when you reach that point. Often, the most effective problem-solving technique is to leave your computer and take a walk around the block.

It is important to have a serious hobby. Software development is an uneven work - it comes in spikes and lull. While greatly rewarding, it can also lead to failure and frustration. A serious hobby, where you are passionate can help you to level out these agonies and ecstasies.

I've learned that keeping my mental health in check is as important as writing clean code! One fun way to do it is by embracing a "learn from mistakes" mindset. When I first started, I used to get frustrated when my code had errors or when I received feedback. But over time, I realized that those moments are where the real learning happens. Now, I celebrate each error as a chance to improve and make my code even better. It's like solving a challenging puzzle! We're all in this together, and sharing our experiences, whether it's about coding triumphs or challenges, can make the journey a lot more enjoyable. So, stay positive, embrace mistakes, move around, and connect with your coding buddies – your mental health will thank you!

It's essential not to take feedback and criticism personally. I've learned to differentiate between work-related feedback and my intrinsic self-worth over time. Self-value shouldn't be linked to feedback. Making and learning from mistakes is a part of being human. In my personal experience, my supervisors never discouraged or demeaned me when I made errors or faced setbacks; instead, they expected me to take corrective actions and grow. At times, feedback and criticism can be your most invaluable source of guidance.. Achieving this mindset takes time but is possible with consistent effort. My mental health and work outlook improved when I stopped tying criticism to my self-worth.

If your code doesn't work after hours of debugging and it's already getting late, just leave it for tomorrow. It's crazy how many times I've wasted hours in the evening only to sleep on the problem and find the solution within minutes the next day.

You will fail. I have been programming since I was 7 years old. In nearly every course I've taken I've known most of the material in advance. In high school and college I spent a LOT of time recreationally coding and learning from my mistakes in safe environments. However, nothing can prepare you for getting into the real world where your changes can have real impact on real people. You won't always get things right, but you'll learn from each failure. Some mistakes will be careless, others will be mistaken assumptions, things you didn't know you didn't know, or even things beyond your control. You will grow through these mistakes. Own them, do what you can to avoid them, and move on to make smaller mistakes in the future.

Software Development and technologies are moving so fast till the point where, while I am adopting a new technology and try to implement it in my department, another technology is born. Sometimes this might be overwhelming and makes you feel that you are always behind. But you need to understand that this is inevitable, and the fact that you are doing the research, and getting a glance of what the new technologies are bringing, you are doing great!

Making learning a lifelong habit is key for staying engaged, inspired and resilient in such a demanding field. Here are some additional tips for software developers to keep learning and growing to maintain mental health: 1) Attend conferences, seminars, or workshops to get exposed to new concepts and connect with experts. 2) Take on some side projects or open source contributions to experiment with new languages or frameworks. 3) Find a mentor who can guide your learning and career growth through valuable advice. 4) Teach and train others - this helps reinforce and deepen your own knowledge. 5) Explore subjects beyond pure technology like design, business, psychology to broaden perspective.

I often tell people to contribute. Writing, speaking, presenting … in whatever way is an amazing way to strengthen your understanding of a topic. Write articles for you. Present on a topic you’re familiar with. Someone out there needs it. Don’t forget conferences; local or remote.

To deal with your mental health keep your mind busy in learning the latest trends and technologies. expand your knowledge and skills in your area. This is best practice from my recent experience. Remember, you are your own source of confidence and motivation. There are various resources available in market use them wisely for your growth, take online courses, books or podcast, blogs or connect with your community team members through meaningful conversations. Embrace a mindset of never-ending learning and growth as the key drivers for your personal and professional development.

In my opinion it is one of the most important items to maintain your mental health, the technology is changing during all the time and study is a way to you feel good with yourself and be more productive. You need to like to do what you are propose to do and enjoy your job, learning and studying to be always better.

Investing in your mental well-being will make you happier, healthier and more productive. Don't isolate yourself. Reach out to colleagues, friends or family when you need support. Find a mentor in the industry who can offer advice and perspective from their experience. Prioritize your mental health as much as your work. You don't have to handle everything alone. Set up regular one-on-ones with your manager to discuss any issues impacting you. Seek professional counseling or therapy if you are struggling with anxiety, depression or burnout. Use emotional support apps like Talkspace or BetterHelp for online therapy. Join developer communities and forums to connect with peers who understand the challenges.

You are not the someone who can do anything and everything all at once. Taking help from anyone should be normalised even if you think this is a small problem to solve. This is something everyone should follow. Asking for help wont make you feel smaller . Our brain doesnt function the same all times. Sometimes you may need help for something which is very easy to solve but your brain couldnt think of it. Better to ask for help in those cases

Working remotely especially in software development can get very challenging and lonely. Hybrid / remote teams should make an effort to meet the teammates for a "chill out" session at least once a week. Not only that, at the personal front, never hesitate to practice mental health practices like meditation and yoga! Reach out to your near and dear ones if you are feeling left out.

It’s important to have someone to discuss technical challenges with, and if you find yourself being the only developer in a company, know when to reach out to someone! Not having a sparring buddy can affect your productivity negatively, as you spend too much time planning scenarios out before even writing a single line of code. This can, in turn, lead to feelings of doubt and inadequacy. I’ve found myself in similar situations, and was able to find a non-developer colleague with an analytical mind, who was able to get a high-level understanding of my challenges. Having discussed the matters allowed me to choose a path and regain focus.

Never be ashamed to seek support and help, whether it's for emotional, social, practical, or professional challenges. Surround yourself with people whoi are eager to guide and assist without making you feel inferior. Learn from their perspective and experience. Remember, you are never alone in this world. If those closest to you can't provide the support you need, turn to community members on social media. Don't allow anyone to dominate your mental health.

Focusing on the positives helps maintain passion, satisfaction and mental well-being amidst everyday stresses. Here are some additional tips for software developers to practice gratitude and appreciation to support mental health: 1) Start each day by listing a few things you are grateful for - it sets a positive tone. 2) Thank your colleagues when they help you out or share their expertise. Recognize their contributions. 3) When you complete a difficult task or project, acknowledge your own hard work before moving to the next thing. 4) Share positive feedback and compliments more freely for others' work. 5) Reflect regularly on the aspects of work you find meaningful, interesting, or enjoyable.

Eventually, at every job, you will see how the sausage gets made. This might not mesh with your initial aspirations, and how you move on from that is important, because negativity is contagious. It's important at these moments to step back, and keep perspective. Look at your day-to-day. Does this really impact you. Being open about difficulties and frustrations is very valuable, but so too is being mindful as to how it contributes to team dynamics. There's a balance to be had.

Focusing on gratitude and appreciation can foster a positive mindset. Software developers can benefit from acknowledging their achievements, even small ones, and feeling thankful for opportunities and resources. This can boost overall well-being and reduce stress.

“Catch them when they’re good” might be a traditional parenting advice but it’s also effective in creating a safe space for your team. Providing positive reinforcement might be awkward for someone not used to giving it, but you’ll feel better as you do it often (as long as it’s genuine!). I find it especially effective when the giver of the compliment is admired and respected by the receiver. It provides some peace of mind from my personal experience (both as giver and receiver).

Don’t try to be better than other members of your team. Focus on being a better developer than you were last week, and you’ll do well.

Make your work desk more "friendly", fun and meaningful to you. Working long times on your desk developing scripts, systems, analyzing data, writing business email will make you sometimes emotionally detached and focused on logics all the time. Sometimes you need things on your desk to break that focus and draw a smile on your face. I personally I have a tiny purple owl under the screen from my daughter's barbie set, and a coffee cup from my wife to brighten my day :)

If your job is killing you--and yes, it can be your job, not you--plan your exit and quit. A strong voice in life and work is healthy. But most jobs that talk about well-being read from a script. Plan an exit, be discriminating in your search, and you can reclaim some of that control. In my last FAANG position, a team member said she'd fill up the bath and scream underwater. Crying or being irritable from frustration, confusion, and lack of sleep were common. Medical leaves spiked. Layoff fear was (is) constant. Vacation? Please. As Jet Li said: "You're killing yourself for a job that will replace you in a week if you drop dead. Take care of yourself." Self-advocate strongly. Don't wait for those unhealthy blood pressure numbers.

2 simple ways to maintain your mental health. 1) Find the main area of technology that you are passionate about and do it (UI, API, process, cloud, SQL, .NET, javascript, frontend, backend, etc). Most people look for the position with the most money, a great title, or a "top" company without understanding what they will really be doing. That's a fool's game. Doing something that is annoying or that you don't like will cause burnout faster than anything else. 2) Work with people you like. If you work on a toxic team, or with a micromanaging boss - your mental health will suffer. Make connections, and stand up for the person that you are and want to be. ** If you have these two things right, everything else will fall in line.

After my quad-bypass surgery (20 years ago), I worked on the mindful practice of non-attachment. With non-attachment, you don’t deny or resist the strong emotions you are experiencing - instead you notice and accept them and you recognize that they are not “you”, they are what is happening to you.