Mental health is a salient topic of concern in the tech industry. Indeed, our industry in particular attracts individuals with a seemingly higher-than-average incidence of neurodivergence or neuroticism. Attending to one’s mental health is an important aspect of managing a career for the long term in an industry that can revolve around textual communication, create fewer opportunities for meaningful social interaction than other careers, and increases the potential for social isolation with the advent of widespread remote work.

Discussing mental health can often be stigmatized, especially in an industry such as ours where company cultures can inculcate impostor syndrome and a pressure to perform at increasingly high levels, as well as a high pace of execution and meeting demanding delivery deadlines. While “self-care” and “work-life balance” are often touted as values, these ideas can be vaguely articulated and encouraged only in the abstract. Self-advocacy for creating space for attending to mental health can be challenging, and we often lack the language, skills, and confidence to navigate investing in one’s own mental health.

Indeed, it is crucial to pro-actively create space to manage mental health – developing the self-awareness to know when one needs a break, whether that means planning for sustainable work pace or taking time off, is very important. And when crises do happen, having the confidence to take a leave of absence or find a different position where expectations can be more sustainable is critical, especially in an industry that touts perpetual “growth mindset.”

Staff Platform Engineer BabyList, Inc

Zoë Chalfant studied Political Science and East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. She worked for approximately 8 years at