THE ANXIOUS DATA SCIENTIST

 

Knock knock

(This is the part you say who's there)

A data scientist 

(Then right about now you say , a data scientist who?)

A data scientist  who has  got a statistics fact for you

Hahaha, not funny? Okay

According to the world economic forum ,an estimated 275 million people suffer from anxiety disorders. That’s around 4% of the global population, with a spread of between 2.5% and 6.5% of population per country¹.

Come on now, of course I had to start with a statistics fact, I'm a data scientist it's just what we do. I am also a very anxious data scientist at that. Yes, you guessed it the title is about me. It's giving main character energy am I right 💅?

Also, is it getting vulnerable in here or is it just me, well technically I guess it IS just me. Now you may be wondering how all this has affected my tech journey or how I have navigated my tech career with it , I am here for this very reason. however before I begin. Can we  as a society normalize sending emails  that say "Dear boss,  you are so pwetty , anyways apologies, unfortunately I will not be coming to work today I am too anxious to leave my house, kind regards". Now that would be something right?

Navigating anxiety has not been and never is an easy journey, it takes true bravery. Here are a few tips that have helped me:

Firstly, you need to search for resources that make your life while learning  or working much easier. This could be  downloading a learning app that will send you daily or weekly reminders to learn something new. Apps that have worked for me are Datacamp and Codeacademy. Another great resource that I would recommend for my fellow anxiety peeps or basically anybody finding it hard to remain consistent is websites that offer daily challenges, one that helped me was (https://replit.com/). To whoever made the Replit platform, you rock!!

Another way around it is to get an accountability partner, someone to keep you in line. Look for a trusted friend or acquaintance who can regularly ask you about your progress on various projects  and work ensure they understand your situation as well and can handle you with grace. You will discover that in the long run having an accountability partner around will make you more productive.

Also, create a safe space for yourself to exist. Hey love, it IS okay if you do something even if you are quite sad, trust me ,once you begin working you start to feel better, at least that usually works for me. There are so many times where I have opened my laptop while still in sad mode and tried to write a few lines of code, I always end up doing more than anticipated.

Set some time aside to practice self care. Nourish your body and mind, it is one of the best things you can gift yourself.  Self care could be exercising, turning your devices off, going for a walk or even  getting ice cream. self care looks different for everybody. Whatever brings your mind happiness and peace, do that. Well as long as it does not harm other people .At the end of the day however, it is important to feel your feels and ground yourself, only pursue things that bring joy to your soul and mind.

P.S 

I definitely did not write this on a day I was too anxious to go outside.

References

1. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/this-is-the-worlds-biggest-mental-health-problem/

Please note, all content published is for information purposes and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice please seek medical advice from your doctor.