6 Ways to Look After your Mental Health as a Developer

Working in tech is awesome, especially as a software developer.
The opportunity to build amazing products, being paid to learn and working with very smart colleagues are just some of the reasons why this profession is so rewarding.

However, software engineering isn’t always a walk in the park. Tight deadlines, adjusting to remote work, fixing major outages and generally, the velocity of the tech industry are some factors that can cause you stress as a developer. Therefore, it’s important to look after yourself and create simple, daily rituals that support a healthy working routine.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October the 10th, we asked our software engineers on how they take care of their mental wellbeing.

Here’s what they said

1. Fresh air

Our interim VP of Engineering swears by fresh air and regular doses of sunshine; living in Hamburg means that biking to work or going for a lunchtime stroll around the Alster is easy to integrate into your daily routine.

2. Meditation

Some of us have trouble not thinking about things, so meditation can help you put things into perspective and arrive in the current moment rather than being swept away by thought.

3. The Pomodoro Technique

This technique focuses on working in 25 minute sessions throughout the day.
This can be helpful for focussing efficiently and it encourages you to take regular breaks so that you avoid sitting for hours and hours without moving, drinking water or looking away from your computer screen.

4. Connect with colleagues

At Taxdoo, we encourage everyone to set up or attend ‘Donuts’ (informal online meetings), regardless of department.
Catching up with a colleague over a random Donut or setting up a Developer Donut is a great way to get to know your colleagues and helps you to feel connected and part of a team.

5. Take a break

Coding is awesome and the feeling of completing a task is great, however rest is also important. Why not use your lunch break to talk a walk around the block? You might be surprised at how refreshed you feel.

6. Find a job you love

We all spend a lot of time at work, so it is important to feel comfortable and motivated by your tasks, colleagues and environment.

How do you look after your mental health as a developer?

If you’re wondering what it’s like to work at Taxdoo, we can confirm that we’re hiring! For more details, check our jobs page or follow us on Twitter for more updates.