It is a known factor in the programming industry that mental health can suffer during the course of a job. Still, with the right tools and job support, there are many benefits to your mental health and even improved mental health in the field of programming.
When you set out to learn JavaScript, Python, BASIC, or any other type of programming language, you can feel the benefits to your mental health taking shape. This is a field where you are tasked with some of the most complex problems in the world.
Managing those problems produces a great deal of intrinsic satisfaction that goes well beyond general job satisfaction. If you are concerned about the consensus of mental health issues that can come with being a coder, be proactive to prevent it from becoming an issue. The truth is that there are multiple benefits to your mental health from working in the field of programming.
The Pitfalls of Anxiety and Depression in Programming
Long hours of staring at a computer with little human interaction could yield a very anxious and depressed worker. Depression is noted by a constant mood of sadness or loss of interest in daily life and activities. Coding depression is a thing. It occurs when programmers and coders spend those long hours without any human love coming their way.
When programmers spend those long hours with more trouble than troubleshooting in their code, the risk of depression and anxiety increases. Many experts say that the average programmer and coder is more at risk of depression and anxiety than the average human. The pitfalls of mental health risks are real in this industry. Yet, there are many benefits to overcoming them.
Troubleshooting is CBT
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT for short, is world-renowned as a very effective treatment for anxiety and depression. It is a kind of therapy where you walk through the thought cycle of your problems until they are resolved internally to your satisfaction. No medication is involved, it is an internal treatment to help you to cope with feelings and emotions.
This is the job of a programmer in real life and real-time. Every programmer learns to problem solve and walks through problems from beginning to end. That is what troubleshooting is, and this is an integral skill in the field.
Bring CBT into your everyday work life. Walk every issue through, even when you aren’t troubleshooting. Use your troubleshooting skills in the areas of life that make you the most stressed or sad, and you’ll see that the worst isn’t around the corner. Programming helps you to do that and this can be a tremendous benefit to your mental health.
Stress Regulation With Programming
There is a tremendous amount of job satisfaction with programming, despite the risks to mental health. Programming requires both creativity and problem-solving skills, and when coders win in both of these areas, job satisfaction is at an all-time high. Learning how to stay in the wave of the creative zone with programming will help to regulate your stress and decrease the risks of depression.
Programming can be an overwhelming field to be in. However, it can also be incredibly rewarding. When you solve other people’s problems, yours feel a little smaller. Stay in the zone with every problem work sends your way, and you will find the stress feels more regulated than during those moments when you feel overwhelmed.
With experience, you will find this self-regulation is extremely beneficial to your overall health. (1)
Relationship Building in the Programming Community
Coders and programmers are unique human beings, and do not often meet many people that they have a lot in common with.
But the world of programming and coding offers communities, networks, and groups worldwide that you can connect with to end any feelings of isolation. Taking advantage of those brings a sense of connectivity to your work, and gives you the best of both worlds. You can enjoy the benefits of human interaction in the people-rich communities of programming. (2)
Become Happier in Programming
It is known that there are risks to mental health in the field of programming. However, it is also known that the field can provide many benefits to mental health. There are some risks to your anxiety and depression levels when you spend a lot of time alone staring at bugs and code. At the same time, there are benefits to being in this rewarding field, that help you to walk through the overwhelming problems when they arise.
Learn the many benefits of creative problem-solving in coding, and become an important part of the global programming community today. When you see those benefits, the job satisfaction and overall life satisfaction factors are high.
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