I've been a programmer for close to a decade and I've always shifted between periods of extreme productivity and periods of burnout resulting in 1-2 months of sabbaticals. During these short rest periods I limit my programming exposure to replying to a few PR requests, answering some questions on SO and doing some light reading.<p>My last burnout however, ended up with me taking a year long mental break. And unlike the previous breaks, this time I pretty muched stayed away from literally any activity that's related to programming.<p>Now that I feel recharged and have a healthy level of curiosity, I want to chart my comeback. However since I've not experienced such a time gap before, I have fears that I'll be rusty as hell and that I won't be able to get back in shape. Even dusting off my dotfiles feels like a challenge.<p>So my question is for people who have experienced such long breaks, how did you handle your comeback? Do you have any tips for me?<p>Thanks