Dr. Courtney Tolinski, a Doctor of Educational and Clinical Psychology, dives into the intricate landscape of mental health within the tech community. She addresses the often misunderstood nature of depression, emphasizing its deeper emotional impacts. The discussion touches on strategies for managing anxiety, particularly in the face of imposter syndrome and overwhelming workloads. Dr. Tolinski shares effective techniques for boosting focus, dealing with distractions, and revitalizing lost passion for web development, ensuring listeners gain valuable coping tools.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Combating Depression's Impact on Enjoyment
Prioritize self-care, such as getting dressed and maintaining hygiene, even if you lack motivation.
Schedule enjoyable activities like appointments to ensure engagement with hobbies and interests.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Scott's Imposter Syndrome Story
Scott Talinksy discusses imposter syndrome upon starting his first developer job, feeling inadequate with Drupal and PHP.
Despite initial fears, mentorship and asking questions helped him grow into a senior role, highlighting the commonality of such experiences.
insights INSIGHT
Imposter Syndrome vs. Low Self-Confidence
Imposter syndrome differs from low self-confidence; it involves feeling undeserving of success despite qualifications.
The inability to discuss these feelings due to fear of exposure intensifies the internal struggle, distinguishing it from general self-doubt.
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12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Tina Payne Bryson
Daniel J. Siegel
This book offers 12 revolutionary strategies to help parents nurture their child's developing mind. It introduces the concepts of the 'upstairs brain' (higher-order cognitive functions) and the 'downstairs brain' (more primal emotional responses), emphasizing the importance of integrating these two brain regions for self-regulation and wise decision-making. The authors provide age-appropriate strategies to deal with day-to-day struggles, help children integrate their memories, and build positive, nurturing relationships. The book also highlights the value of viewing mistakes as opportunities for growth and teaching important skills through everyday parenting challenges[2][4][5].
How to talk so kids will listen & listen so kids will talk
Adele Faber
Elaine Mazlish
This book by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish provides practical advice on how to communicate more effectively with children. It covers topics such as acknowledging and addressing a child's feelings, engaging cooperation, resolving conflicts, and offering alternatives to punishments. The authors emphasize the importance of empathy, providing clear information, and encouraging children to come up with their own solutions. The book promotes a mindful, respectful, and compassionate approach to the parent-child relationship, helping parents to connect deeply with their children and foster greater mindfulness and communication[2][3][5].
In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk with Dr. Courtney Tolinski about mental health and web development.
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Show Notes
3:20 - Depression
Honestly just explaining depression would be great. Too many times I’ve heard “but you don’t look sad”
As someone who struggles with depression, what are some things I can do to rekindle and things I enjoy like developing and hobbies? This would greatly benefit me for learning more dev related things outside of doing it for work.
My depression is due to some other cause in personal life - two years into it.
Coding has bought me little life back as this is the only thing I have to do.
What can we do from an outsider's view to someone who might have depression?
12:23 - Anxiety
Imposter Syndrome x 1000
How to deal with increased anxiety during these times?
How to avoid anxiety and feel useless when working products that you don’t appeal to you?
Wanted to ask the Dr about why do I feel that I have to work on 1000 projects that seem to never finish? 😣This is inducing a lot of anxiety sometimes.
I am on depression medication. Sometimes, I feel scared that I am so slow and don’t feel accomplished enough like people working at FANG, etc, being a SE.
How to deal with the anxiety caused by today’s events around the world and the need to isolate yourself from society even though we crave human interaction?
29:12 - Focus and job performance
How to keep motivation and focus? I find myself enjoying work but having a hard time focusing on it. All the “distraction-free” apps don’t work because I can turn them off and I feel they literally have no power over me.
Hardcore mode
Pomodoro technique
35:10 - Motivation and remote work
Bore-out
Burnout
How do you deal with loss of focus and happiness in web development (especially on remote jobs)?
Working for yourself at home, you don’t get a chance to bounce ideas and encouragement from others in an office. What’re some good ways to compensate for that to ensure you maintain a positive mindset?
Work on new things
Find ways to try new things
40:38 - Stress
Correctly identifying source of (negative?) stress. Not lashing out when under stress.
Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats 
