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I had a similar situation while I was at a university. I was taking extra classes, trying to work a part time job as close to 40 hours a week as I could to pay the bills, interviewing, and a significant other. I did this for about a year before it all came crashing down. When it did come crashing down, I was apathetic for about a month. I bombed out of classes, almost got fired from my job, and the SO stopped seeing me for a while.

My biggest suggestion is to find something that lets you blow off a lot of steam/release a lot of stress in a short amount of time. For some people it's sports or boxing or whatever. For others, it's partying. Whatever it is, it has to be something you do alone, away from everything else. When you do this activity, it has to be your full focus. You can't think about the startup or the job or anything else.

I didn't figure out what this release would be for me until I had graduated and was working. It turned out to be lifting weights and just fatiguing my body until I pretty much couldn't walk. I tried to do this before everyone else woke up so there was no one there to grab my time. I did my best to make it to the gym 3-4 times a week at 6am-7am. There were plenty of days I aimed to be in the office at 8:30, but I would be so exhausted that I would need to nap for 15-20 minutes. I still made it a point to get in by 9am.

My three requirements for something like this is:

1. It has to be physical. 2. You have to be alone. No one interrupts this sacred time. 3. Whatever it is, put more than 110% effort into it. Make sure you are putting everything you got into it and that you aren't spending any energy thinking about something else.

On the other side of this coin, you need to talk to someone about it. Let them know what's going on and that you need someone to vent to. The worst thing you could possibly do is bottle it up.

This is what works for me, but at the same time, your mileage may vary.




Thanks! I actually just started hardcore biking. It does help. I'll keep this in mind. Biking fast = physical excersise which helps with the physical fatigue, and having to pay attention means that you can't think about other things. Also the more effort you put in the more you think about muscle movements and not about random thoughts (like those about work).

I actually used to play games, but they caused the same problems as working, too much mental engagement. I don't recommend video games as a form of stress release.




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