Wellbeing resources for developers

A seven-stage path for students and early-career people who feel alone or have moved to a hostel, a new city or a new country: loneliness, making friends, peers who study and build with you, mentors, communities online and offline, asking for help without shame, and being support for others. It is free to add.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A seven-stage path for people who procrastinate, lose hours to their phone or keep restarting routines: why we procrastinate, attention and phones, getting started with if-then plans and Pomodoro, habits that stick, study routines that work, planning a week with deep work, and rest and restarting after a bad week. It suits students and early-career people everywhere. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Mindset
• Soft skills
• Wellbeing

Twin sisters Emily Nagoski, a health educator, and Amelia Nagoski, a musician and teacher, explain why dealing with the causes of stress is not the same as dealing with the stress itself, and how to complete the stress cycle in your body. It suits anyone who feels exhausted and overwhelmed yet still not "doing enough".

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A seven-stage path for students and early-career people dealing with exam pressure, job-hunt stress, burnout, poor sleep or low mood: crisis help first, calming stress, sleep, telling low mood from signs that need a professional, finding affordable help, talking to family and helping a friend. Grounded in WHO, NHS and CBT guidance, it is not therapy and says plainly when you need a professional. Adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A seven-stage path to knowing yourself with evidence, not horoscopes: strengths from a free survey and feedback from others, values, naming emotions, energy and when you work best, what you want versus what is expected, blind spots, journaling, and turning it all into choices about courses, careers and jobs. It suits students and early-career people who are unsure what they want. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Soft skills
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A seven-stage path through failed exams, a low CGPA, internship and job rejections, failed projects and startups, and feedback that stings: why rejection hurts, the first 48 hours, a blameless post-mortem and a dated plan to start again. It suits students and early-career people who have had a setback or want to be ready for the next one. Every stage is open on the public page, and adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset
• Soft skills

A six-stage path for students and early-career people who doubt themselves: impostor feelings, the inner critic, comparison on LinkedIn and at home, an evidence file of real wins, speaking up in class and meetings, and recovering from setbacks. It treats confidence as a skill built through small actions, using CBT and self-compassion research. Adding it costs no credits.

• Career
• Mindset
• Soft skills
• Wellbeing

An interactive online programme that teaches cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) skills for preventing and managing symptoms of depression and anxiety, first developed at the Australian National University. It has five modules plus a workbook. It was free for many years; individual access now costs AUD 39 for 12 months, unless an organisation gives you a token.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal explains research suggesting that how you think about stress may change how it affects you, and how reaching out to others is part of the stress response. A 14 minute talk for students and early-career people facing exams, deadlines and job hunts.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A practical guide to fear and self-doubt by Russ Harris, a doctor and trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Instead of waiting to feel confident, it shows you how to act on what matters while the fear is still there. It suits students and early-career people held back by self-doubt, impostor feelings or fear of speaking up.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing
• Soft skills

Tele-MANAS is the Government of India's free 24/7 mental health helpline, reached on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, with counsellors in many Indian languages. It is run by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with NIMHANS Bengaluru as the technical hub. It suits anyone in India who is struggling, from exam stress to a crisis.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

Researcher Brené Brown's talk on connection, shame and why the people who feel a strong sense of worth are willing to be seen, imperfections and all. A 20 minute talk for anyone who hides behind perfectionism or finds it hard to let people in.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck's book on fixed and growth mindsets: whether you believe ability is set or can be developed, and how that belief shapes the way you handle challenge, effort and failure. It suits students and early-career people who fear looking less capable than others.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing

Online CBT programs from THIS WAY UP, a joint initiative of St Vincent's Hospital Sydney and UNSW, covering anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia and more. Most self-guided programs cost AUD 59; the Mindfulness and Insomnia programs are free, and programs are free when a clinician prescribes them. It suits people who want structured, research-based self-help.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

An online emotional support service where you can chat for free with trained volunteer listeners, any time, and join peer support forums on topics like anxiety, loneliness and study stress. It also offers paid therapy with licensed therapists. It suits people who want to talk something through with a kind stranger, not people in crisis.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

David Burns' classic self-help book on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for low mood. It teaches you to catch the distorted thoughts behind bad moods and answer them on paper, with exercises you can do on your own. It suits anyone who wants practical tools for low mood, guilt or harsh self-criticism, alongside professional help when things are serious.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A dialogue between a philosopher and a young man that introduces the ideas of psychologist Alfred Adler: that you are not controlled by your past, that most problems are relationship problems, and that freedom means accepting some people will not approve of you. It suits people who live for others' approval or feel stuck by their history.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing

The NHS's free mental wellbeing site, with plain-language guides on stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep, and the Mind Plan: answer five questions and get a personalised list of things to try. It suits anyone who wants practical, evidence-based self-help without signing up for anything.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

A meditation app with a very large free library of guided meditations, talks, music and sleep tracks from thousands of teachers, plus a customisable meditation timer. Insight Timer says 30 million people use it. An optional paid Member Plus plan adds courses and offline listening. It suits people who want variety and many voices to choose from.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

The website of Dr Kristin Neff, the researcher who developed the Self-Compassion Scale, with free guided meditations, written self-compassion exercises and tips for practice. It suits anyone with a harsh inner critic who wants to treat themselves with the same kindness they would show a friend.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing

A free library of science-based practices from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, grouped under gratitude, kindness, mindfulness, resilience to stress and connection. Each practice explains how to do it, why it works and the research behind it. It suits anyone who wants small, tested exercises for wellbeing and relationships.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing

Psychologist Guy Winch makes the case for emotional hygiene: treating psychological injuries like loneliness, failure and rumination with the same care we give a cut or a cold. A warm, practical 17 minute talk for anyone who brushes off emotional pain.

• Career
• Mindset
• Wellbeing

Umang is a Pakistani mental health helpline that describes itself as free and available 24/7, offering emotional and psychosocial support by phone and WhatsApp. It suits anyone in Pakistan who is struggling, worried about a friend, or needs to talk to someone now.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset

The World Health Organization's free illustrated guide to managing stress, with short self-help techniques that take a few minutes a day and accompanying audio exercises. It is available in dozens of languages, including Urdu, Hindi and Bengali. It suits anyone under pressure who wants simple, practical skills.

• Career
• Wellbeing
• Mindset