Silicon Valley Jobs Take All You’ve Got. 5 Steps to Put It Back!

“If you really want to make it big you’ve got to hustle.”

That’s the theme of a recent article about Silicon Valley jobs. And like it or not, that’s the culture. Even if you are working a support job. Even if you have advanced, special skills. Nothing ever stands still in Silicon Valley.

And you’ve got to give all you’ve got, every day. Just to keep your place here. But what does this do to your mental well-being? And we’re not even mentioning fun and happiness…

You can’t just go on indefinitely, draining yourself. Or there will be nothing left inside you. You will fee like a car running on zero fuel.

So here are 5 steps to put back what you gave to your Silicon Valley Job and find a better balance in life.

1. Manage your information flow

This is a simple step, but it brings great rewards.

How often do you check news, social media, work emails, updates of all kinds?

Observe yourself for a day or two. You will probably find that a lot of update checking is redundant. But it interrupts your flow, and it adds stress. Often, you feel you have to respond. Every time,it takes energy out of you.

Even more often, the posts you see undermine your sense of self-worth. Take control of your information flow and of your engagement with that information. Remember that no one looks as good in reality as they look on Facebook.

2. Play

Hustling and over-delivering are a deadly serious business.

They take your energy and eat it up whole, constantly demanding more. Experiment with trying to take a more playful approach. After all, life is a big game.

Approach everything you do as if it was a scene in your favorite simulation game. And then, play that game itself. Learn from your leisure!

And, yes, include some ‘outside work’ play such as group sports, amateur dramatics and dating. Play replenishes your energy and offers new sources of inspiration. Which may make your working life less stressful.

3. Peer support

Don’t always go it alone!

Silicon valley jobs and culture talk a lot about teamwork, but people often feel alone. Especially when it comes to their problems.

Peer groups have a long track record of restoring energy and self-acceptance. Just knowing that others are struggling with the same issue makes you feel more ‘normal’ and therefore more relaxed.

And you might even try to make a few friends outside work. Something that silicon valley jobs makes quite difficult, but contributes a lot to putting the sparkle back into life.

4. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a great tool that you can practice anywhere and anytime.

Try slightly longer sessions where you focus on your breathing, then count your inhales and exhales, slowly extending them. This calms your central nervous system and signals that a stressful situation is over.

Brain chemicals and hormones can re-balance themselves.

If you like, you can venture into full blown meditation at this point. That’s a time investment that repays you with a sense of feeling grounded and connected to the source of life.

Or you can just take a few ‘mini meditations’ throughout the day, even at your desk. If your workplace is particularly stressful, don’t tell anyone you’re doing it. Just pretend to look at your computer or phone.

5. Get quality sleep

When you hustle, you don’t sleep.

You either don’t dare to sleep because you fear falling behind, or you just can’t sleep well due to anxiety.

Economizing on sleep reduces cognitive functions. Ongoing sleep deprivation can cause severe physical symptoms, including death. Sleep disturbance is often the result of deliberate sleep deprivation.

If you can sleep, do it. As soon as possible. If you find it difficult, try sleep training and relaxation techniques. Stay away from addictive medication and drugs.

Finally, sometimes it helps to remember that Silicon Valley is just a place. This is your only life. You can live it wherever you want.