- Published on
Help others by sharing your experiences in mental health
- Authors
- Name
- Iván González
- @dreamingechoes
Last year, I went through a mental breakdown. Life changes, social anxiety, and juggling too many projects led me into depression and anxiety. This is normal—it isn't something to be ashamed of. Everyone faces challenges, and the key is knowing how to tackle them.
Acknowledging the Issue
Months ago, I decided to take control, become aware of my struggles, and try to understand the causes to address them. Besides seeking professional help (always start with professional advice), I searched for others who had shared their experiences with mental health.
A big factor in my mental breakdown was the software industry itself. We all know that it can be toxic—you're expected to constantly stay ahead, have multiple side projects, maintain a fully green GitHub profile, send C4P submissions for conferences, and strive to be the next IT influencer. It's too much pressure.
I love learning, working on side projects, and sharing knowledge, but when the industry demands that you compromise your own health just to stay relevant, that's when problems start to escalate.
Raising Awareness
Through my search, I realized that mental health doesn’t get enough visibility in tech. This is a problem we need to change. Mental health and neurodiversity are real issues—we must combat the stigma and discrimination surrounding them.
Hearing others' experiences helped me immensely. Along the way, I created a list of mental health resources for people in the software industry, collecting and sharing what helped me. You can check it out here.
If you're looking for a starting point, I recommend this James Meickle talk about mental health and neurodiversity in engineering:
Please share these resources with those who may need them. Support organizations like OSMI and Compassionate Coding, attend conferences like Anxiety Tech, and share your own story.
Daily Habits That Help
Besides learning from these resources, I’ve adopted simple daily habits that help my recovery. These may help you too:
- Eat well and exercise regularly: Physical health directly impacts mental well-being.
- Celebrate small wins: Acknowledge everyday achievements, like fixing a bug or completing a small feature.
- Be kind to others: Helping and supporting people makes you feel happier.
- Rest properly: Prioritize good sleep and distance yourself from stress-inducing activities.
- Stay hydrated: Seriously, drink water!
Start taking care of yourself—no side project, software conference, or company is more important than your mental health. 💙