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+--- Thread: Avoid strain when thinking? (/showthread.php?tid=3248)
Avoid strain when thinking? - Miomek - 08-24-2016
Hi , I'm a programmer(still learning) and I noticed that I strain when I'm thinking and trying to figure things out especially if it's something new or difficult. Is there a way to think without straining?
Just wanted to add that my vision doubles after some work and I am considering changing my job. So it's not a small thing. Please help if possible.
Mike
RE: Avoid strain when thinking? - Nancy - 08-24-2016
(08-24-2016, 02:25 AM)Miomek Wrote: Hi , I'm a programmer(still learning) and I noticed that I strain when I'm thinking and trying to figure things out especially if it's something new or difficult. Is there a way to think without straining?
Just wanted to add that my vision doubles after some work and I am considering changing my job. So it's not a small thing. Please help if possible.
Mike
Mike, hi. I was a programmer for a long time, so I get the "chasing the answer" mindset. You want to be "in the zone" as runners say, with an intention to stay focused, then also letting go so the answer can come in. Think about creative folks like artists or musicians -- if they strain they crimp off the flow. But if they're not focused at all they just go in circles. See if you can be more in an Allow mode and less in a Push one.
RE: Avoid strain when thinking? - Miomek - 08-24-2016
Thanks for reply. I tried to be in allow mode but it just doesn't work for me with programming. I mean It's like natural for drawing or coming up with ideas for new games etc. but not for programming.
By the way, it's similar with eye exercises. I find that the best exercise is no exercise because no matter what i do it ends up making my vision worse from trying to make it better by trying to relax which makes me strain to see even more.
RE: Avoid strain when thinking? - Nancy - 08-25-2016
(08-24-2016, 01:03 PM)Miomek Wrote: Thanks for reply. I tried to be in allow mode but it just doesn't work for me with programming. I mean It's like natural for drawing or coming up with ideas for new games etc. but not for programming.
By the way, it's similar with eye exercises. I find that the best exercise is no exercise because no matter what i do it ends up making my vision worse from trying to make it better by trying to relax which makes me strain to see even more.
Yup. Great awareness. This is why many people don't benefit from "vision exercises", because they're focused on the mechanics and not the feeling, often going through the motions but not really immersed in it. See if you can be in Allow Mode whatever you're doing, and notice when you drift away from that. Then see if you can bring yourself back. And be grateful for your sharp mind which is so eager to help. A programmer's mind is a beautiful thing!
RE: Avoid strain when thinking? - Miomek - 08-25-2016
Thank you very much for kind words
I will keep trying this allow mode. I guess if i could control it then i would be able to cure my eyesight as well. I wish i could just allow myself to see. That would make things easy!
RE: Avoid strain when thinking? - David - 09-03-2016
Lots of us coders around here... I did some C in college, and today I do some PHP coding for my websites.
If I start feeling stressed, sometimes it's because I have too many things to remember, like how my code fits into the bigger picture and what else I'm going to need to do. I open up notepad and start typing out my thoughts and organizing a plan of attack. For larger projects I organize the tasks in a spreadsheet. I sit back, look around, and acknowledge any unrelated stress I'm feeling. I keep breathing and letting my thoughts flow, giving myself time, and I'll get out a surge of code when I get into the right frame of mind for a moment. If I remember something else I need to do today, I take out my phone and enter a memo or put it on my calendar, so I can put it out of my mind. I have a cup of coffee or sparkling mineral water to keep me occupied taking sips. I sit with my laptop in a public area so I can occasionally catch something interesting or talk to someone for a moment.
Coding is easier today than it's ever been, because of the resources at our disposal. Most code I need has already been written, or a whole Wordpress plugin is already available that does what I need, and explaining what I need in a few different ways in Google searches will eventually bring up something useful. That process itself forces me to explore the topic creatively and use more of my brain and take the pressure off of having to write the code for every idea I have.
What I'm trying to explain is there's a way to code and still keep your mind open and relaxed so that it doesn't wear you out.
When Tom Campbell was in college, he was one of the early programmers when debugging was nearly impossible because he had to wait for the next day for the program to run and find out if it worked. At the time he wasn't into intuitive stuff or anything that people would consider weird at the time, and he was just a programmer and a nuclear physicist, except that he found that when he couldn't figure out a bug in his code he found he could close his eyes and relax deeply and in a moment the code would pop into his head and he would see where he had missed a comma or whatever. It worked over and over again. So just an example.
RE: Avoid strain when thinking? - AlkalineWater7 - 10-15-2016
(08-24-2016, 02:25 AM)Miomek Wrote: Hi , I'm a programmer(still learning) and I noticed that I strain when I'm thinking and trying to figure things out especially if it's something new or difficult. Is there a way to think without straining?
Just wanted to add that my vision doubles after some work and I am considering changing my job. So it's not a small thing. Please help if possible.
Mike
Ah, a fellow programmer. It's nice to come across people with the same hobby or interest. Programming can be quite frustrating, and can really induce a lot of stress at times. I guess one thing I can say is to think small. Break down larger problems into smaller problems. So for example, if you're coding a calculator application, focus on one mathematical operation such as addition. After that, abstract the code and apply it to the other mathematical operations. This is an easy example, but if you come across a line of code that's giving you problems, you should ask yourself how the line of code is causing issues in respect to the entire program. Thinking small with your mind focused on each line of code at a time reminds me of central fixation, and thinking holistically on how to solve a problem or create an application using code reminds me of peripheral vision. In order to have healthy, functional vision, you must have peripheral vision and central vision. So I guess it also applies to programming as well; to be a good programmer, you have to think holistically/abstractly and analytically. But sorry if this advice doesn't help any. In fact, I have a series of YouTube videos that may help.
Here they are: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKQ5LYb497AZIZe9dBWy8GwLluVaMQVj0