Leo Widrich on mental health
Leo Widrich on mental health
Mental health is probably not spoken about as much as it should be. I came across Leo's (was co-founder at Buffer) story about him leaving, unhappiness and burnout.
I partially identify with his story. My angle was burnout and really not wanting to (but feeling obliged to) continue building the company I was building.
I feel it is important to share this kind of stuff. The startup world is so full of 'bravado' and I think that indie hackers are ideally suited and can rise above the old school kind of culture of work before health.
There have also been a couple of good IH threads in the past on the topic of mental health:
https://www.indiehackers.com/forum/indie-hackers-and-mental-health-62b928cc4f
https://www.indiehackers.com/forum/its-mental-health-awareness-week-let-s-share-our-own-experiences-battles-as-indie-hackers-79306c18c9
That's a very vulnerable interview.
Just to add my two cents on the topic, I believe the major reason why such a loss of meaning is happening is that a lot of people have only narrow-focused goals and don't tend to other important aspects of their lives. As a rule, self-care activities and energy replenishing activities are not on people's calendars.
Another thing, people do not tend to think why a particular goal or activity is important and how it's in line with one's values. Building things and growing companies certainly can give a dopamine rush and it can deceive about what you as a person and your organism really need. That can be not sustainable in the long-run. Not thinking strategically upfront why, for example, one is building a 20 million company can make a person feel miserable at the end of the day.
P.S. In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine which is mentioned in the interview is a great read. Highly recommend it.
Wow, I didn't have a clue Leo left, I followed those guys very closely when they began, even applied for a job there!
But it's a great read to say the least. I tend to also have these cycles of questioning what it is I'm doing, why, what's the point and so on, then the reality of money & security kicks in so it sort of shocks you back. But it's great for Leo to share his feelings, nice to see that mental health is getting the recognition that it deserves.