Essay · 8 min read

Encountering Depression and What It Means To Be Well

Brad Feld · Feld Thoughts (feld.com) Free Intermediate

Feld cofounded Techstars and has ridden the full founder rollercoaster in public, and here he names the difference between a bad week and a real low, then lists exactly what he changes: more sleep, no alcohol, deliberate less input, more time alone. That is the same move as batching your metric checks. He also defines being well as waking up interested in your work, not waking up to a green dashboard.

  • The emotional swing is real and common among founders, not a personal failing, so name it instead of white-knuckling through it
  • His fix is subtraction: cut inputs, cut alcohol, protect sleep, get time alone, rather than adding more grind
  • Wellness is defined by daily interest in your work, not by whether today's number went up
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The question it answers

  1. How do I stop my mood from swinging wildly between euphoria and despair every time a metric moves?

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