Ask HN: 15 Years of Burnout

2 depressed 2 8/15/2025, 9:02:13 PM

I'm a competent software engineer and passionate about what I do. I can get dev jobs, but I cannot hold onto them. My longest at one job was about 18 months, and my average is closer to 6 months. Sooner or later I get burned out, stop meeting expectations, and lose the job.

When I say burned out, I mean a bunch of physical symptoms: I get nausea that causes my body weight to yo-yo up and down. I get migraines that can last for weeks. I experience brain fog that wrecks my productivity. My body will start to crave sleep to the point that I end up skipping meals just to sleep more.

Along the way, I've gotten diagnosed with major depressive disorder, ADHD, and high-functioning autism. I've tried self-employment and gig IT work, and experienced similar burnout for much less pay.

Has anyone experienced anything similar and bounced back? What helped?

Are there any employers that work with software engineers with mental health problems? I'm not even sure what accommodations to ask for. I found a couple corporations with programs for autistic individuals, but they seem focused on people entering the workforce for the first time.

I'm frustrated and desperate at this point. I'll take stress management hacks, passive income tricks, alternate career suggestions, anything.

Comments (2)

coip · 12h ago

Take care of your bag of meat: sleep, eat, sweat with regularity and sufficient amounts. Socialize productively. Isolate productively. What does that mean? Talk with someone who you know/knows you. About whatever. Spend time alone doing comforting things that are not exciting as much as relaxing. Get bored. Don’t run away from yourself. Rather, return.

coip · 12h ago

Oh and get sunlight. Morning and evening walks every day for me made a night and day difference. Not to trivialize burnout or depression. It is a… fickle thing, passion.

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Ask HN: 15 Years of Burnout

Comments (2)