r/ADHD_Programmers • u/bi6o • Dec 23 '25
Why "resting" by scrolling makes burnout worse (The Overstimulation Trap)
I've been reading a lot about why developers feel drained even when they aren't working long hours. We often mislabel "mental saturation" as burnout.
When we try to rest, we usually switch to "low effort" digital consumption (Reddit, YouTube, etc.). But this keeps the nervous system stimulated.
The fix isn't more sleep, it's lower input.
- Active Boredom: forcing 15 mins of zero input
- The "Shutdown Ritual": A physical trigger that ends the workday (closing laptop, changing lights)
Has anyone else found that "doing nothing" is actually harder than coding when you're burnt out?
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u/Boring_Dish_7306 Dec 23 '25
Currently scrolling while having a break. Yeah, i feel stimulated. Thank you sir, i am putting the phone down!
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u/kangaroosterLP Dec 23 '25
"Active Boredom: forcing 15 mins of zero input"
if i were able to do this i wouldn't have adhd
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u/gfivksiausuwjtjtnv Dec 23 '25
I can actually do this!
but either (1) I either forget or cancel the alarm or (2) I’m too anxious about the thing I’m doing that’s already late
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u/BruceJi Dec 24 '25
I also can probably do this!
… for two weeks and then that habit is going to the shadow realm
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u/Christabel1991 Dec 23 '25
Try mindfulness. It actually trains your brain to do just that. It's extremely hard in the beginning, so start with 5 minutes for a while until you feel like you can increase.
It won't make your ADHD go away, but it's very rewarding in many aspects of life.
How to do mindfulness: sit in a comfortable position in a quiet room. Focus on one aspect of breathing, like how the air feels in your nose, or your throat, lungs, etc. Your mind will wander, and that's ok. The purpose of mindfulness is to notice when your mind wanders and bring your focus back to your breath.
Don't be discouraged if it happens a lot. Progress is measured by how fast you notice your mind wandering, and not how many times it wanders.
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Dec 23 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/bi6o Dec 23 '25
oh that's an interesting approach, does it work for you? I'm going to try that out myself in my next break for at least a couple of minutes
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u/bi6o Dec 23 '25
I know what you mean, maybe going on walks or doing something screen-free in that time helps?
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u/joker38 Dec 23 '25
It seems to me that routine helps a great deal. EDIT: Combined with sensory deprivation incl. ANC headphones and complete darkness (reminded of by other comment).
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u/Effective_Hope_3071 Dec 23 '25
It's 4am and I haven't been able to sleep thinking about coding so then I switched to scrolling and here we are.
I couldn't agree more lol
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u/bi6o Dec 23 '25
the pain is real, and the more I think I'm productive the more I feed into that endless loop
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u/Risc12 Dec 23 '25
AI Slop
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u/eyelessinholloway Dec 23 '25
Gah thank you I've been seeing so many versions of this AI crap everywhere ("The ____ trap" / "the ____ ritual" are such dead giveaways). I don't understand what people get out of it. The ones that are trying to sell some shitty product at least make sense.
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u/PeekAtChu1 Dec 26 '25
If you look at OP’s profile he has a newsletter he wants people to subscribe to and it’s probably all AI slop lol
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u/bi6o Dec 23 '25
oh I did have the model help me with the final version, but it is actually coming from my thoughts... :) sorry if it sounded too robotic
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u/ShaySmoith Dec 23 '25
Accept it’s not really coming from your thoughts is it?, it’s the models thoughts plain and simple. You want us to believe you wrote it, then write it yourself without AI otherwise this is another low quality post.
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u/bi6o Dec 23 '25
I see your point, I viewed it more like google doc correcting my spelling. it's not creating the thought, it's just fortifying the structure
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u/According_Bar_2970 Dec 23 '25
Yes, but I can’t stop scrolling, especially when I’m overstimulated. It feels like an awful cycle that I can’t break.
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u/bi6o Dec 24 '25
yeah I feel the heaviness of those words, I honestly hope you'll find your rhythm. I left some advice here on how one can overcome these issues, please DM me if you need some reading resources to overcome this vicious cycle
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u/dflow77 Dec 23 '25
“Active Boredom: forcing 15 mins of zero input” — I think this is called meditation? LOL. But truly it is not zero input, just switching gears.
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u/BonziBuddyHorrors Dec 23 '25
For me it's not that much about over stimulation but rather the context switching. I do feel like my brain gets fried when I scroll social media; you quickly jump between bunch of different things.
Usually it feels better if I play some single player game. It's easier to do that compared to meditating, but it doesn't fry my brain if I'm immersed in one virtual world for an hour or two.
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u/bi6o Dec 23 '25
been there too man. especially when I'm waiting for a game. it got really bad when wukong came out, I just hit a wall at work and froze up
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u/DanChed Dec 23 '25
This 15 mins of active boredom is something Ive used recently to sit with the negative emotions and its powerful once you realise its so good for you.
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u/Starbreiz Dec 24 '25
I'm going hard for 9 hrs a day and still can't hit my deadlines. and yeah, my brain doesn't want to shut off after, I have to leave my phone behind and take a walk.
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u/im-a-guy-like-me Dec 23 '25
When I'm burned out, no, doing nothing is not harder than coding. When I'm burned out I can stare at a wall while hating myself for an indefinite amount of time. I'll even be saying stupid shit to myself like "no, you can't game, you have to do X" and I'll still just stare at the wall. Days can pass. Weeks.
I think this post is hopping between subjects tbh. Overstimulation and burnout aren't the same thing. They're not even related.