posted on Thu, Jun 17 '21 under tags: mental-health, coding

Just because you don’t make money from the software you write, you don’t have to disclaim all responsibility of it

If you are a free software developer who is burnt out by unending support requests and feature requests, chances are that someone has told you that you shouldn’t feel so responsible. That the software you write is “as-is” and users have no right to ask you anything. And hearing that probably left you confused. Because what they’re telling you is a form of emotional invalidation.

It is completely natural for you to feel responsible for something you created.

If you feel responsible for a project you created, and are overwhelmed by not being able to answer everyone’s questions/comments it is natural for you to feel burnt out.

While it is true that you aren’t legally obliged to do anyone any favour, if you feel morally obliged then it is natural for you to feel the pressure of that obligation. And you do not have to fight your moral instincts.

It is okay to question your moral instincts, if you feel up to it. It is okay to take help. It is okay to take a break to figure it out. It is okay to be confused about what to do.

Just know that what you’re feeling is real and the solutions may not be simplistic.

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