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As a solo indie game developer, who has to self motivate everyday, here's what I've found: 1. Programming is a completely mental/brain activity as you know, re

As a solo indie game developer, who has to self motivate everyday, here's what I've found: 1. Programming is a completely mental/brain activity as you know, requiring no real physical exertion. So it should be easy to work on code problems all day right? Wrong. 2. The body requires physical exercise of some sort, it is literally how we are architectured, and if you don't move about then the immune system can't function properly [1]. This can quickly cause feelings of anxiety, depression and a lack of wanting to do anything. And because our brains are inference machines, you instead associate these bad feelings with your current thoughts ('need to get this coding work done'), leading you to where you are now, unable to face the problem out of fear of the bad feelings. 3. The solution I have found is Yoga! You can buy a mat for something cheap, and can keep it unrolled in the house. Then every time you have feelings of stress, go and do some poses on the mat. Specifically downward dog [1] [2], also Cobra Pose. Ideally watch a yoga video that goes though a set of poses and then pick the ones you feel most comfortable with and do those throughout the day. 4. The productivity increases I have got from this are ridiculous, and this all stems from me feeling relaxed. Programming can be full of frustration, and letting it build up can cause real physical problems. But once you incorporate yoga, and take care of your body, suddenly those challenges will no longer feel insurmountable, and instead of worrying about everything, your brain will work on finding solutions instead. [1] http://www.livestrong.com/article/422920-how-to-cleanse-lymphatic-fat http://www.livestrong.com/article/422920-how-to-cleanse-lymp... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbJaj0Aqw5k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbJaj0Aqw5k [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCIT1Y7HmI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCIT1Y7HmI

noir_lord 11y ago
I second this, I have health issues (spine condition) and last year it impaired my ability to move around which led to a negative spiral. I lost some weight and started exercising, gradually increasing my strength, now I have a pull up bar on the door whenever I'm feeling stressed or demotivated I go do a dozen pressups or pullups, it definitely helps to get the blood moving.
tedmiston 11y ago
(I fat fingered and accidentally downvoted you -- I completely agree with your comment though.) For [3], just curious if you have tried group yoga classes? I like a lot of the concepts and ideas around yoga, but each time I've tried a class it's been extremely anxiety inducing due to either feeling claustrophobic or struggling to keep up from not knowing the positions (and deductive reasoning leads to frustration from looking around to find everyone else doing the position a little different, yet somehow acting like they either don't notice or aren't concerned with the nuances). I want to like it, but it has stressed me out each time. My current solution is 15-30 minute cardio sessions on an elliptical, but having a gym 20 minutes from where I work is far enough I'll often skip it or find going midday impractical.
- hacker_9 11y ago
  I don't think a Yoga class really gives you any benefits if the tutor is not helping you or correcting your positions. All you need to remember is 1) know what muscles the pose is meant to be targeting and make sure you can feel those muscles being stretched and 2) remember to breath, do not hold your breathe! Only go as far into the pose as you feel comfortable, this is meant to be relaxing, and no one starts off flexible enough to do all the poses perfectly! Keep it up over time though and you will improve. Also for me I do a max of 3-4 yoga stretches over roughly ~5 minutes, then get back up and do work. I might do this about 5x a day.
- egypturnash 11y ago
  Find a beginner class, the instructor will be going into more detail as to how to do a position. Also keep in mind that some more advanced people in class may be doing a different, but related pose that gives them a stretch that the basic pose no longer does. What matters is that you are feeling a stretch (and not a painful one) in roughly the place the instructor says you are; if you're not, then speak up and ask about it!

noir_lord 11y ago

I second this, I have health issues (spine condition) and last year it impaired my ability to move around which led to a negative spiral. I lost some weight and started exercising, gradually increasing my strength, now I have a pull up bar on the door whenever I'm feeling stressed or demotivated I go do a dozen pressups or pullups, it definitely helps to get the blood moving.

tedmiston 11y ago

(I fat fingered and accidentally downvoted you -- I completely agree with your comment though.) For [3], just curious if you have tried group yoga classes? I like a lot of the concepts and ideas around yoga, but each time I've tried a class it's been extremely anxiety inducing due to either feeling claustrophobic or struggling to keep up from not knowing the positions (and deductive reasoning leads to frustration from looking around to find everyone else doing the position a little different, yet somehow acting like they either don't notice or aren't concerned with the nuances). I want to like it, but it has stressed me out each time. My current solution is 15-30 minute cardio sessions on an elliptical, but having a gym 20 minutes from where I work is far enough I'll often skip it or find going midday impractical.

hacker_9 11y ago
I don't think a Yoga class really gives you any benefits if the tutor is not helping you or correcting your positions. All you need to remember is 1) know what muscles the pose is meant to be targeting and make sure you can feel those muscles being stretched and 2) remember to breath, do not hold your breathe! Only go as far into the pose as you feel comfortable, this is meant to be relaxing, and no one starts off flexible enough to do all the poses perfectly! Keep it up over time though and you will improve. Also for me I do a max of 3-4 yoga stretches over roughly ~5 minutes, then get back up and do work. I might do this about 5x a day.
egypturnash 11y ago
Find a beginner class, the instructor will be going into more detail as to how to do a position. Also keep in mind that some more advanced people in class may be doing a different, but related pose that gives them a stretch that the basic pose no longer does. What matters is that you are feeling a stretch (and not a painful one) in roughly the place the instructor says you are; if you're not, then speak up and ask about it!