Have you ever been so tired and wrecked after a long day, or maybe even from nothing at all, but somehow when you start playing games all of your energy comes back out of nowhere? Or maybe when you stop playing games and you think you are okay but five seconds later you crash and pass out on your bed without even realizing how sleepy you were? If you are like me, that’s a yes to both.
Throughout my whole life gaming has always been an amazing way to rest and recover from the trials and tribulations of the days activities, beyond being my first choice for enjoyment. Whether it was coming home from school, needing a break from study, or even just dealing with bad news, games have always been a great distractor, and an even better means of stress relief. As a kid I can remember staying up all night just playing Pokemon under my bed sheets and feeling totally fine, only to stop playing in the morning and immediately have a tidal wave to exhaustion just slam into me.
No doubt, this varies from person to person. People enjoy different things, some might relax by watching movies, hanging with friends, listening to music, the list goes on, but chances are you have your personal way of managing your fatigue when times get tough. This can change from time to time, sometimes you get sick of your usual hobbies for a while, it happens to all of us. Sometimes when I’m just not in the mood to play games, curling up in bed and watching Youtube is my go-to in order to relax.
That’s what it really comes down to, is enjoyment. If you enjoy doing something, chances are that when you get to do it you will feel so much better and stress-free and that’s part of what makes it awesome. On the flip side of the coin, if there is something you hate doing, it drains your energy that must faster, and it makes you tired and stressed. I know this probably sounds obvious, but if you have things in your life that you don’t enjoy doing, and surely there are some, keeping those to a minimum, and making the most out of the things you do enjoy is critical.
Are there games more suited to R&R though?
Again, it’s all personal preference, but it really depends on my mood and situation. Luckily, there are so many games out there that there is bound to be something to do in order to get my much needed hit of dopamine before the next energy consuming activity of the day. If I’m studying and only need a small break, usually I’ll hop on to Call of Duty and just play a few rounds. I find that the quick, 5 – 10 minute games can help make sure I don’t spend longer gaming than I should. Maybe I will hop onto Diablo and see if I can find a few cool pieces of loot. Whereas when I have more time up my sleeve, I can turn to games I know I would be able to just sit and play for hours, such as Skyrim or Minecraft.
But having breaks like this is essential I believe to living a healthy life. Especially with study and work etc. life is bound to get stressful from time to time, and rather than just dealing with it and pushing forward, the best thing to do sometimes is to just acknowledge that you need some time to recover, and taking that time to do something that helps to relieve that fatigue. This will allow to move into your next endeavor without that kind of weight on your shoulders bearing down on you. A little stress can actually be good, but large amounts of it for a long time can be very unhealthy, so keeping it under control is important. Also having huge amounts of stress just plain sucks. Certainly being a student and taking small breaks to game in between study has helped motivate me and and keep me studying without becoming overwhelmed.
Gaming can be a powerful tool to managing stress and fatigue, which let’s face it, usually come hand in hand, but just be careful not to procrastinate too much. As great as games are for relieving stress, they can be addictive, and you can have too much of a good thing, or else you will end up even more stressed than before.
So just be careful. 🙂
But this is just my opinion, I would love to know, do you have any go-to games when life wears you out? Are there any other ways that you find work wonders for your stress and fatigue? Let me know in the comments, and if you enjoyed this post, be sure to give it a like. Until next time, stay beautiful, and stress-free. 🙂
End note: Authored by Genesis & Locikll for Psilink Gaming & MediGamer Blogs, Redistributed, and edited for Steemit officially