1. Is programming the right job for you?
If you feel uncomfortable or dismissive of this line of thinking, consider a quote by Jefferson: "Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." If programming is the profession that truly satisfies you and complements your abilities and personality, then it should withstand critical probing. Is this something you're doing because it's comfortable and you've never looked elsewhere? Are you truly competent?
2. Build something.
Something simple and tangible.
Get an $10 point & shoot camera, go into the woods and take 20 pictures of wild flowers. Print the pictures and make a physical album. Do as many of these small, creation-oriented, achievable "distraction projects" as you can.
In my experience, they provide a great boost of self-confidence, and this allows me to think about personal problems with perspective and calm. This allows me to introspect in a healthy fashion. Heavy weight lifting and long walks seem to provide the same boost to my thought process.
Your second point has always been really helpful for me. Since. I spend all day basically living in my own head and moving bits around to create intangible products. I find that it helps to do some activity with more tangible results, to avoid burnout.
My current activity is cooking. I make the time most nights to make a real dinner from scratch. I've gotten in to bread baking too. The part that I think is most beneficial is both that it produces something that you can actually touch (and taste) and I can finish preparing a meal in an hour or two, so I don't have to wait for months to see the outcome of he thing I am creating. Plus it doesn't hurt to have a solid healthy meal everyday.
1. Is programming the right job for you? If you feel uncomfortable or dismissive of this line of thinking, consider a quote by Jefferson: "Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." If programming is the profession that truly satisfies you and complements your abilities and personality, then it should withstand critical probing. Is this something you're doing because it's comfortable and you've never looked elsewhere? Are you truly competent?
2. Build something. Something simple and tangible. Get an $10 point & shoot camera, go into the woods and take 20 pictures of wild flowers. Print the pictures and make a physical album. Do as many of these small, creation-oriented, achievable "distraction projects" as you can. In my experience, they provide a great boost of self-confidence, and this allows me to think about personal problems with perspective and calm. This allows me to introspect in a healthy fashion. Heavy weight lifting and long walks seem to provide the same boost to my thought process.
I hope that helps.