How to Cultivate Mental Clarity and Combat Burnout in the Rapidly Changing World of AI

Year 2023 was a hell of a year and one thing that stood out was the pivotal year of AI and different applications, development in the space. 
There is a fallacy roaming around that we as humans can learn, adapt and keep up as fast as AI does what clearly is not the case as we are wired differently and need breaks.

Before I continue on what works for me I want to address that every individual is different, thus it’s important to keep an open mind and find your way of dealing with burnout and rapidly changing world that we live in.

Physical exercise

While mostly people get into exercising due to physical health and physique improvement, improve your sex life, and even add years to your life it became a core role in my life due to these factors:

1. Stress Reduction: Regular physical activity is known to reduce stress by lowering the levels of stress hormones. In the dynamic field of AI, where professionals often face high-pressure situations, managing stress is essential for maintaining mental clarity.
2. Mood Regulation: As AI will slowly and surely make us more obsolete and cause possible depression cause of it exercise has a positive impact on mood and emotional well-being. We can’t impact AI takeover but we can try to deal with it better by cultivating better mood.
3. Mind-Body Connection: With being stuck behind my screen more and more I feel disconnected with my body and engaging in physical exercise fosters a strong mind-body connection. This awareness can help individuals in the AI field manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Developing mindfulness through activities like yoga or tai chi can further enhance mental clarity and resilience.

Reading

In a digital age of fast information coming our direction(TikTok and LLM like ChatGPT strengthening it) we are less capable of consuming information slowly not to mention reading a THICK book as most Gen Z gain the information through video content, shorts or audio. 
I am a huge advocate of learning how to code through books as well here is a relatable article.
https://medium.com/codex/why-you-should-learn-programming-through-books-672f1148abbb

1. Cognitive Flexibility: This cognitive flexibility can be beneficial in navigating the complexities of the rapidly changing world, such as the field of AI.
2. Reduced Screen Time: This can be especially beneficial in a world where digital screens are prevalent, contributing to eye health and reducing potential screen-related fatigue.
3. Mindfulness and Presence: Reading, especially when done mindfully, encourages being present in the moment. Engaging with the content of a book without distraction fosters a sense of mindfulness, which can contribute to mental clarity.

Meditation

Meditation is something I have been in and off but it’s the think that I want to improve the most. As in digital age plus AI delivering everything in fast pace, we loose focus on ourself and make cognitive decisions.

Daily mindful meditation practice has been shown to produce measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress.

1. Increased Self-awareness: Meditation encourages self-reflection and self-awareness, allowing individuals to understand their thought patterns and reactions. This self-awareness can be valuable in navigating the challenges of the AI field, where adaptability and self-management are crucial.
2. Mindfulness in the Present Moment: The practice of mindfulness, a key component of many meditation techniques, helps individuals stay present in the moment. This can be particularly beneficial in the AI field, where constant updates and advancements require individuals to adapt quickly.
3. Enhanced Focus and Concentration: Regular meditation has been linked to improvements in attention span what is an ever-growing issue nowadays. Apart from that memory improvements.

In conclusion there isn’t a lot we can do to prevent AI development and it taking half of all existing jobs, but what we can do and should is cultivate mental clarity as it is ever-growing personal concern. 
Even more now I struggle with relying on my own constructive thinking and it’s easier to default on AI bias answers due to it being often times correct. But all our decisions should not be acted upon chatGPT suggestions alone.
As mentioned these are the approaches I take in todays fast pace world what is your approach and how do you combat burnout and remain mentally clear?