Ask HN: Drastic drop in problem-solving abilities | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Drastic drop in problem-solving abilities

Hello, I have to ask, have anyone of you suffer from drastic drops in problem solving ability when doing uninspiring work over a long period of time? I always think before I act, but offlate my behaviour has completely flipped .. not sure if this is reason to worry

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Are you depressed?

Look through the symptoms on the bulleted lists below

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/sym...

Do you recognize them? What are you doing instead of solving problems?

Thanks for the reply. Yeah there a small intersection, too early to call it depression I feel

It doesn't matter if you feel like you can diagnose yourself or not. If you're feeling weird and you don't like it, it's a good idea to see a therapist. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Even if it's just a dip in motivation or some low-level anxiety or something, it's worth it to work on it with a professional. Everyone has things they can work on.

One viewpoint is that "depression" often presents with only a small set of symptoms. For instance, in middle-aged men it frequently presents as only physical symptoms. Also it is very possible to have some of those symptoms and not realize it or have your doc realize it.

Just keep it in mind. Maybe you need a vacation.

Make sure you're not taking any medication which effects your problem solving skills. Nothing is without suspicion, even things you take for granted. Sometimes medication of all kinds, particularly those that effect your hormone system, has unlisted side effects.

Another silent killer is poor air quality. Make sure you're getting lots of fresh air each day.

Obviously eating well & exercising helps as well.

Beyond that, simply taking a break may help.

I see. No I don't take any medication of any kind. Haven't taken any medication of any sort in the last 5 years, no pain killers, no coffee nothing. Strange now that I think about it. Must be bunch of other stuff like you mentioned. Thanks for the reply

Oh, yea, and vitamin D! Don't forget to get vitamin D! Beyond my suggestions I don't know.

Are you getting quality sleep at least 7 hours a day? If not, fix this. If you are, don't think you need to be worried either.

Uninspiring work can cause sustained and unhealthy stress in the best of us. And stress is known to deplete cognitive abilities. It's probably stress.

+1 on the quality sleep. if you wake up with dry mouth or drool regularly, you're mouth breathing during sleep which is commonly a warning sign of sleep apnea, which causes loads of problems, especially mental health probs.

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