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Ask HN: Dealing with the anxiety of startup work

by velocitypsycho on 3/27/16, 12:22 PM with 4 comments

I've been working at a successful startup for a number of years. While my impact is high, it has aggravated my anxiety disorder. Sometimes to the point of becoming non-functional.

Much of my anxiety is related to how brittle software is, the rush of everything, in addition to database migrations, scaling, etc. Throw onto that anxiety about balancing my family life with work, and I'm always anxious in one way or the other.

For those out there with similar issues, how do you deal with the anxiety of working at a startup? Is there something I'm missing, are startups just not for me?

  • by DanBC on 3/27/16, 1:18 PM

    You say you have an anxiety disorder. Is it currently being treated? Anxiety tends to be very treatable, although obviously it's different for some people.

    Here's what you could expect if you were in England:

    https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/offer-psychological-int...

    https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs53

    http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/generalised-anxiety-dis...

    That's via the NHS. NHS treatment is patchy. You could also go private, in which case I'd recommend seeing if the NICE guidance is right for you then finding a therapist registered with eg BACP.

    The recommended therapy is quite short and should be manageable. Up to 14 weeks at an hour per week.

    > are startups just not for me?

    Only you can answer that. I'd think that maybe you'd have the same level of anxiety even if you weren't working at a startup, but that it'd be about different things.

  • by NetStrikeForce on 3/30/16, 2:40 PM

    Hi,

    I know all this is easier said than done, but it's just a matter of caring less about it.

    During my worse times I made the decision to change job for a more relaxed role. I immediately felt much better, started to get a real life and could make better decisions moving forward. Now I'm back to a more challenging life, both on the personal and professional sides and I must say I'm very happy. Mainly because at the end of the day, I don't give more fucks than needed about work.

    I tried to capture this on article some time ago, you might be able to relate to some of it: https://medium.com/@pjperez/stop-giving-a-fuck-and-be-fuckin...

    And I know it's not always possible to "just feel better" or not care at all, so I wouldn't dismiss any of the other advice about seeking help.

  • by svisser on 3/27/16, 1:59 PM

    You could be burning out. Anxiety is one of the symptoms of burnout, in particular chronic anxiety.

    You should asses whether burnout could be the case and take steps to recover.