A recent study noted that with 2 in 5 tech workers showing a high risk of burnout, the industry is facing a "burnout crisis". Burnout happens when people force themselves to focus on work and production while ignoring the stress that builds up in the background. Given that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Stack Overflow has released a survey of software developers' healthy habits to find out what developers are doing to reduce stress and focus on their own health.
The report is based on a survey of more than 800 developers to find out if they are happy at work and what they are doing to maintain or improve mental health. The survey found that about 62% of respondents' employers encourage employees to be physically and mentally healthy at work; however, more than 60% of developers say they never take a day off for a mental health day .
Research has found that one of the best ways to relieve stress is physical activity. More than 50% of developers say that when they need a break, they go for a walk or do some kind of physical activity. But not everyone is able to stand up and stay away from their computer screen during breaks. In addition to exercising, things developers often do when they need a break include listening to music (46%), visiting Stack Overflow (41%), browsing social media (37%) and watching videos (36%). " So when developers need to stay away from coding, they don't necessarily have to stay away from the device. "
88% of respondents expressed interest in improving their physical health and 83% were interested in improving their mental health. Among the ways developers improve their health include drinking more water (57%), eating healthy (56%), prioritizing exercise (47%), making time for friends and family (43%), and working fewer hours ( 25%). Currently, less than 35% consider exercise a part of their daily routine.
Developers who feel pressured to overshoot will still have a hard time making time for themselves, the study noted. " Preventing burnout in a fast-paced industry is always challenging, but encouraging employees to take breaks and prioritizing health is the first step in ensuring developers are happy at work. There is still a lot of work to be done. For example, there is no reduction in developers Are working hours because they feel they can't do it? Is health something that employers can encourage more, or is it more dependent on personal motivation? Are there some factors that we completely ignore?"