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I haven't coded anything for months now, maybe 1.5 to 2 years even, because I was struggling with depression and unresolved issues. I'm still not out of it, and I'm not seeing anyone for now because of quarantine, but I've been taking antidepressants during the last months (prescribed by a doctor) and they're beginning to have a good effect. I'm feeling better by the day, and I'm looking forward to seeing a professional and getting better without the medication after the end of the coronacrisis (which isn't something I would have thought sometime ago, so that's encouraging).

Anyway, today I took my laptop and started coding again, and I really liked it, but it really felt like my mind was fucking rusted after all this time. It took me like 3 hours to write 60 limes of code. I know that by keeping coding a bit everyday I will find my old skills again, but I was wondering if you had any tip to ease the start, like doing code exercises, or trying to make a simple project. I'll take any tip to get back on the train again, as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Second question : please comfort me and tell me I'm not the only one who is suffering or has suffered from rusted mind syndrome.

Comments
  • 1
    I don't have rusty mind exactly but I've become really sloppy. No matter how hard I try and test, bugs show up and my colleagues find them. It's embarrassing.
  • 2
    If I were you I'd treat this as practicing something you want to gradually get better at. Don't binge it, do half an hour a day. Do a fun project like maybe make an app that connects to the catfacts apj and texts or emails your friends or something. It doesn't have to be hard, just get used to programming gradually. You get stuck for a while, work on a different piece of the program.
  • 1
    Thank you for your answers, guys. It feels good to finally see the light, and to feel you're able to function normally again!

    @10Dev, that's exactly how I'm feeling. My old teachers and mentors would be ashamed 😅.
  • 0
    I've been through depression too, I know what you've been feeling. You are already getting out of it, the simple fact that you're able to see an improvement tells a lot. Keep going, you're doing well!
    I too stopped proper coding since being hired as a sysadmin, so I started enjoying competitive programming in my free time to not lose the hand.
    May I suggest you LeetCode, they are proposing 30 days coding challenges, on which they give you one problem a day of usually increasing difficulty and covering various algorithmic problems well suited for beginners too. If you solve all of them the same day when they appear you also are eligible for a final draft so a nice push to practice every day. There should be another one for June, but if not the ones for April and May are still available
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