art by Hajime Sorayama

How to Stay Human as a Developer

rita solo
rita solo
Sep 3, 2018 · 4 min read

Over the 6 months, I have been learning something pretty amazing and empowering — coding. It has been a childhood dream fulfilled to learn this skill and I am excited to continue down this path as a career, but I have noticed that I have needed to practice a lot of self care to balance myself out along the way.

Prior to this immersion into web development, my daily life included very little sitting and minimal screen time, and I could tell after just a couple weeks of switching to this more sedentary lifestyle that there was a lot that my body and mind was lacking. I managed to maintain emotional equilibrium by listening in to my internal cues and not neglecting my ‘humanness’ while talking to a computer all day. These are some of the things that have been a part of my support system along the way, though they may be different from the particular things you may need.


1. Manage your time, turn off the screen.

Set some strict guidelines for yourself on when to turn off the computer. Take into account how much time you spend on your computer at work or school, take occasional breaks throughout the day, and if you have projects that take up your evenings, give yourself an early cut off point so you can spend time in the evening resting your eyes and away from the screen.

2. Early to bed, early to rise.

This may seem daunting to those of us who consider ourselves night hawks and most productive when the sun goes down, but this kind of schedule in the long term wreaks havoc on your circadian rhythm, sleep quality and overall wellness. Prior to screens and artificial light, human beings were forced to live in tune with the sun and went to sleep often as soon as the sun fully set. This is not to say that we have to regress to this kind of schedule, but rather respect the fact that this kind of routine is hardwired into our DNA and was the lifestyle of our ancestors. Finally, in regards to productivity, we have forgotten or have not been taught about the importance of dreaming and sleep for the integration of new information and recalibration of our conscious minds. It is often more productive to go to sleep early rather than stress an already tired mind trying to solve something you’ve been working on for hours.

3. Move your body, focus on your breath.

The concept of exercise can invoke a sense of dread and rebellion — something we are told is good for us but many of us resist because of the initial low reward and difficulty in starting. I’ve found it helpful to move the body in ways that feel good yet challenging, rather than simply tedious. It’s also been helpful to reframe my relationship with movement, stretching and strengthening as a reward and something to look forward to, bringing to mind the feeling of fresh energy and vitality that comes from moving itself. Incorporating mindfulness into movement practice, whatever it may be, can add another layer of grounding the process. The best entry point into a mindful state of mind is focusing on the breath and then consciously breathing in and out. This alone can bring on a rush of peace and remembrance that you are a human being.

4. Go outside, put your feet on the earth.

We live on a planet that is infused with technology, but it is still a living, breathing entity that we are all born from and return to. By simply stepping outside, in the city or preferably somewhere far away from civilization, we can drop into the basic nature of ourselves and reconnect. Grounding, by placing our bare feet on the earth, can be profound. Beyond the more esoteric benefits, a study published in the 2013 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that “grounding increases the surface charge on red blood cells and thereby reduces blood viscosity and clumping. Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.”

5. Remember what you love.

For many people, coding becomes all encompassing in their lives — their work and their main hobby. As amazing as it may be to love what you do, it is unhealthy to do only one thing. Bring balance into your days by spending time with people you care about, doing the other things that bring you joy and make you into a more well-rounded human being.


As we move into the future, computers and humans will continue to coexist in increasingly entangled ways. We must retain our outer and inner health to make sure that we do not forget that we are much more than our thinking minds, respecting the whole self and whatever it may be calling us to bring back into balance.

rita solo

Written by

rita solo

front end developer | coding w #cohort19 @hackeryou | traveler of time & space ☄️

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade