Here's how you can prioritize self-care as a Virtual Reality (VR) expert in a demanding industry.

Maintaining balance in a demanding VR industry can be challenging, especially when you're passionate about your work. However, I've succeeded in two key areas: food and sleep. I ensure I get 8 hours of sleep nightly and catch up if I fall short. Cooking my own meals with fresh vegetables forces me to take breaks and eat healthily. Luckily, the XR community is really friendly, so attending IRL events and seeing them helps me spend quality time, laugh, and connect. The nature of VR work also allows for socialization within virtual platforms, like VRChat, which helps in building professional friendships.

Don't prioritize work over your life! Here's my take on SELF-CARE as a Virtual Reality expert in a demanding industry: 1.Self-care is not buying yourself a BIIIG CUP of Starbucks (so, you can get more fuel to work countless hours). 2. Self-care is not finding a 'surprise' money to buy 'that dress' to wear in 'that event' (so, you can impress your colleagues even more). 3. Self-care is maintaining a healthy balance between your life and work. 4. Self-care is knowing that joining that last meeting of the day is your last drop of energy maybe and being okay to acknowledge that your energy is LIMITED, so you have to spend it wisely. As a neurodivergent who can only hyperfocus, I'm learning from the hard way to prioritize my health.

I believe that balancing work and personal life is crucial for VR professionals. The immersive nature of VR can make it easy to get lost in long periods of deep focus, often neglecting regular breaks and personal time. To avoid burnout, I schedule short breaks throughout my day to step away from the headset and computer. During these breaks, I take a quick walk, meditate, or engage in a relaxing activity that helps me disconnect from work. These consistent breaks are essential for preventing mental fatigue and maintaining long-term productivity and creativity.

Technology is great...Nature is better! Go for a walk, smell some flowers, hug a tree...then take your calm, balanced self back into VR and share your real-life experiences with real people (even if they are represented by avatars).

Finding equilibrium between work and personal life is vital for VR experts. The immersive nature of VR can lead to extended periods of deep focus, sometimes at the expense of regular breaks and personal time. To avoid burnout, schedule short breaks throughout your day to step away from the headset and computer. Use this time for a quick walk, meditation, or a relaxing activity that disconnects you from work. Consistent breaks not only prevent mental fatigue but also promote sustained productivity and creativity. Balancing work and personal life ensures long-term well-being and maintains high performance in VR projects.

In an industry where technology blurs the lines between work and home, setting clear boundaries is paramount. Determine work hours that allow for dedicated project time while preserving evenings and weekends for relaxation and family. When your workday ends, physically and mentally disconnect from your workspace. This might mean turning off notifications or setting an auto-reply for emails received outside of work hours. Respecting these boundaries helps you recharge and protects your personal time from being consumed by professional demands, ensuring a healthier work-life balance and preventing burnout.

Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life to avoid overworking and stress. >>Example: Make a dedicated workspace at home, turn off work notifications after hours, and communicate your availability clearly to colleagues and clients.

Yes, I believe automation may save us... for a while (: XR tech industry is not only demanding but also gives us the freedom to work in a lot of spaces,including our homes. If you're working from home, you gotta know that you're in grave danger! If you work from an apart-studio home,like me, you're in even bigger grave danger! Working and sleeping in the same room is highly unhealthy; think of all that electricity you spend, you have to balance in your body and the level that you encounter it during the work. Add up a big cup of stress, Here we got the recipe for a disease. It took me only 1 year to develop a heart issue, stress weight gain and here I am asking you not to do that. SET BOUNDARIES, do it.

Set a timer for 30 minutes when you use VR. If you feel any discomfort, take it off, take a break. Use the technology to its maximum potential, but not to your maximum comfort. ;)

Here's some of the things I've learnt from my team and probably you could use this too ! - "Sitting is the new smoking", one of my team members said, We are trying to integrate chairs where people can stand and work and get the rings on their apple watches. - Walk, walk and walk - alot of times I have personal chats with team members over a simple walk - Maximum Sun light - place yourself in an environment where you get maximum exposure to sunlight - Eye strain - make sure you try to look into the clouds and during sunset to relax your eyes - A happy work environment, you should love what you do and love the people that you work with. Thats the basic thumb rule.

In my role as a VR healthcare projects manager and developer, the fast-paced environment demands continuous mental agility and focus. I've found that incorporating brief, targeted mindfulness exercises throughout my day is crucial for managing stress and maintaining mental clarity. These quick one-minute "mental check-ups" allow me to stay aware of any stress or muscular tension and realign my focus swiftly. This practice involves simple steps like pausing to breathe deeply, consciously relaxing my muscles, and briefly reflecting on my current state of mind. These moments of mindfulness not only enhance my problem-solving abilities but also prevent burnout, making them essential for my effectiveness and long-term success in the VR industry.

In an industry where technology blurs the lines between work and home, setting clear boundaries is paramount. Determine work hours that allow for dedicated project time while preserving evenings and weekends for relaxation and family. When your workday ends, physically and mentally disconnect from your workspace. This might mean turning off notifications or setting an auto-reply for emails received outside of work hours. Respecting these boundaries helps you recharge and protects your personal time from being consumed by professional demands, ensuring a healthier work-life balance and preventing burnout. Establishing and maintaining these boundaries is essential for long-term well-being and sustained productivity.

In my view, mental well-being is as crucial as physical health for VR professionals. Practices like mindfulness and meditation are invaluable for managing stress and staying focused. By incorporating mindfulness exercises into my daily routine, I cultivate calmness and presence, which helps me tackle work challenges with a clear mind and boost my creativity. Taking care of my mental health isn't just a luxury—it's essential for long-term success in the dynamic VR industry.

Everyone talks about the 'killer app' for VR...it turns out it is not one app at all, but rather the ability to collaborate and be 'present' with other humans in VR. This medium has the ability to bring people together bridging time, space and geography. If you really want to understand the full potential of this technology, go play a game, attend a meeting or collaborate on a project with others around the globe, all in VR together...it is truly magical!

Technology is continuously changing and so must your learning. Take time each week to read about new developments and tools. Asses these tools and see if they can speed up your workflow so you can focus on the actual content and faster iteration. Continuous learning as also a great form of self care. It allows for some breaks in your work and contributes to excitement and mental well being. I also recomment exploring the way you are currently doing things. push some buttons you never use and see what happens. Try parts of your tools or software you don't use in your day to day. You never use them again but you now have information you can share with a colleague who might.

Reading and learning is not passive...once you learn something, endeavour to teach this to others. The active practice of learning and then teaching will reinforce your knowledge and make you (and others) smarter.

Keep yourself engage in continuous learning to stay updated with industry trends while also fulfilling personal growth. >>Example: Allocate time for professional development through courses, webinars, and reading, while also exploring topics that interest you outside of VR to diversify your knowledge and skills.

In my perspective, keeping up with the latest VR trends and techniques is both exciting and potentially overwhelming. To handle this, I approach continuous learning with intention. I choose courses and materials that genuinely interest me and align with my career goals. I also schedule specific times for learning to ensure it doesn’t invade my personal time. By balancing educational growth and self-care, I can stay at the cutting edge of VR innovation without overextending myself.

The best way to learn is to practice the skills, teach it & write about it. My first foray with VR, involved a lot of research, VR in 2018 , we had very few peers, very few resources & not many courses. But now its much easy, there are enough resources & courses all over the internet. Once you start working on project, the project itself will drive what & how you will learn. Because no two projects are the same. What you can hope or try for, is to find every chance to work on a diverse set of VR projects- Sports, Industry, Education, Entertainment etc. This should keep you on your toes, keep you innovating & keep you at the cutting edge of Virtual Reality development.

Feed the pattern recognition machine: One hour a day, every day, doing something for myself. Whether it’s a walk, workout, or unrelated podcast - as long as it’s outside work related content.