Claude, 6. März 2015, 11:33 Uhr
Warning: Use of undefined constant ri_rand_compare - assumed 'ri_rand_compare' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/random-image-widget/random_image.php on line 129 Warning: Use of undefined constant ri_rand_compare - assumed 'ri_rand_compare' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/random-image-widget/random_image.php on line 130 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 1384 Warning: preg_match_all(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 700 Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 707 Warning: preg_match_all(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 700 Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/httpd/vhosts/scratchbook.ch/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/lightbox-plus/classes/shd.class.php on line 707
We’re interested in using Product Hunt as a megaphone to discuss the issues we care about and can address. Mental health is one of them.
Anxiety. Depression. Burnout.
We don’t really talk about it. Many people go through it, but most people suffer alone.
We want to kickstart a conversation in tech around stress and mental health, and to create a space where it’s okay for people to feel depressed and to talk about it. These feelings aren’t just okay, they’re human.
Startups can be particularly lonely because there’s a huge cognitive dissonance — everyone has to pretend they’re always killing it — to fuel the hype machine for investors, customers, and press. However, most of the time—given the failure rate of startups—most people’s businesses are dying, slowly and painfully. It’s not founders’ faults — this dissonance is built in the game. We’re trying to will something to existence. “Fake it until we make it” is almost part of the job description.
Which sparks a negative cycle: we pretend to be killing it all the time, so we don’t talk about how we’re struggling. Because we don’t talk about how we’re struggling, we don’t know that other people are struggling, too. Because we don’t know others are struggling, we feel alone and weak. One thing leads to another, and then one day we can’t get out of bed and we don’t know why.
People close to me have struggled with depression, and I’ve seen how it can plague — and end — the most promising of lives. While I’ve been fortunate not to suffer in that way, I’ve struggled with various forms of burnout. It wasn’t until I learned that people I admired also struggled with these feelings that I learned to be okay with it. Sharing and listening to my peers helped. Everyone sees the accomplishments but they don’t see the hardships. Having a community to share the lows with can keep you sane and even save your life.
At a tech conference a few months ago, I asked a crowd of a few hundred people if they had experienced some sort of serious burnout. Nearly everyone’s hands went up. Then I asked if these people had ever seen a therapist. No hands went up. One shy person raised their hand and said “I used to, but not anymore” a bit too declaratively.
Why aren’t we seeking help when we need it? Why do we shy away from talking about stress until it becomes serious? Why do we stigmatize therapy, depression, or even just checking in with each other?
https://medium.com/@eriktorenberg_/startup-founders-let-s-talk-about-depression-3e665dbd747d
