Episode 4: Mental Health Concerns for Developers Mental Health Concerns for Developers

Continuing our series on health concerns for developers we delve into the mental health of developers. Originally this began as one episode but the information and conversation extended so we divided it into three separate episodes. This first mental health episode we discuss the more prevalent concerns that are less clinical in nature but if left unchecked may lead to a more serious problem. In Episode 4 we discuss the topics of workaholism, stress, and sleep problems. A workaholic is a person that feels the irresistable urge to work excessively long hours to the exclusion of family, hobbies, and even personal health. This can be for many reasons including feelings of inadequacy or overbearing bosses. The important take away is this is not something that is desired or enjoyed but a need that must be fulfilled. It can lead to several problems including anxiety and stress. Sleep is something we all need that helps our bodies to refresh and reset. We discuss a non-exhaustive list of common sleep ailments that affect programmers from occasional snoring to sleep apnea to various forms of insomnia. These can lead to a person feeling mental or emotional strain or tension which is commonly known as stress. We go into detail about some of the more severe signs and symptoms of stress and its effects on the body as well as some ways to prevent and reduce daily stress.   LINKS LaserKids DIY Laser Are you a workaholic? Death March Workaholism on Web Teams WebMD Sleep Disorders 50 Signs and Symptoms of Stress Scary Symptoms of Stress Common Effects of Stress Fiddler