Gaming Anxiety & Depression (HOW TO OVECOME)?

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

The other day I was playing Starfield (and this happens with other games too) - I get massive waves of anxiety like I am wasting my day away. The thing is, I do know many people sit on Facebook or watch Netflix. Yet this overbearing surge of depression/anxiety will seize me in the middle of games now.

I try to get up and go for a walk, and then at night when I am trying to sleep, I get agitated thinking how much time I spent playing. The thing is, I know other people are wasting away much more time than me through social media. Maybe for them since there is some social interaction that it doesn't feel like a waste.

Not sure. Couldn't sleep. I just want to be able to sit and play a video game without my brain nagging me to stop.

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

Does anyone else experience this?

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

引用自 Firestorm Engineer：

引用自 LionsGateHeartWorm：

The other day I was playing Starfield (and this happens with other games too) - I get massive waves of anxiety like I am wasting my day away. The thing is, I do know many people sit on Facebook or watch Netflix. Yet this overbearing surge of depression/anxiety will seize me in the middle of games now.

I try to get up and go for a walk, and then at night when I am trying to sleep, I get agitated thinking how much time I spent playing. The thing is, I know other people are wasting away much more time than me through social media. Maybe for them since there is some social interaction that it doesn't feel like a waste.

Not sure. Couldn't sleep. I just want to be able to sit and play a video game without my brain nagging me to stop.

What sort of anxiety is it specific?

I am not sure. Just massive levels of agitation when I play any games for longer than 45 minutes.

[Noob.45]

Go outside. Talk to an NPC or two. Enjoy your life. Go to the park and hit someone else's dog with a frisby.

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

引用自 Firestorm Engineer：

引用自 LionsGateHeartWorm：

I am not sure. Just massive levels of agitation when I play any games for longer than 45 minutes.

Any specific game?

You didn't read my post did you.

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

引用自 Noob.45：

Go outside. Talk to an NPC or two. Enjoy your life. Go to the park and hit someone else's dog with a frisby.

That's the thing, I go for a walk and while on a walk I want to be back playing. But then when I play I feel like I should not be playing.

[Prowl]

引用自 Noob.45：

Go outside. Talk to an NPC or two. Enjoy your life. Go to the park and hit someone else's dog with a frisby.

This is good advice. Talk to the reality based npcs. Engage them with questions like what causes Covid, is the Earth round, what do you feed your lizard overlord and more.
Then when you get anxiety go and play Starfield to ease the pain.

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

引用自 Firestorm Engineer：

引用自 LionsGateHeartWorm：

That's the thing, I go for a walk and while on a walk I want to be back playing. But then when I play I feel like I should not be playing.

That is called videogame addiction.

I am not sure. I feel like there is something else. Maybe it is society and right now humans shouldn't be playing games. It's like the house is on fire and you're in a back room trying to scrape gum off the carpet - and in the back if your mind something is screaming for you to stop.

[CloudsInTheSky]

Because playing is not a productive activity. Playing games should be something you do after a day of hard work. Finishing games does not produce money (not talking about gambling games), nor does it make you socially active in the real world. You are missing out on reality the more you isolate in a game environment. Of course, if you are a streamer and playing games is your job, that is a different story all together.

[Ǥɾᴧᴤʆᴧᵯᴧ]

oof thats not easy...
a walk in the park is not enough. try to make it more sporty. go with a bike, go fast, let your body work and feel exhausted. this way you can say you deserved to play a video game to relax from the sports.

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

引用自 CloudsInTheSky：

Because playing is not a productive activity. Playing games should be something you do after a day of hard work. Finishing games does not produce money (not talking about gambling games), nor does it make you socially active in the real world. You are missing out on reality the more you isolate in a game environment. Of course, if you are a streamer and playing games is your job, that is a different story all together.

I do work a lot in real life. I want to be able to sit down and immerse myself. For some reason this agitation has gotten so bad lately.

[Prowl]

引用自 Ǥɾᴧᴤʆᴧᵯᴧ：

oof thats not easy...
a walk in the park is not enough. try to make it more sporty. go with a bike, go fast, let your body work and feel exhausted. this way you can say you deserved to play a video game to relax from the sports.

This also gives you some free endorphins which is like anti depressant drugs.

[CloudsInTheSky]

引用自 LionsGateHeartWorm：

引用自 CloudsInTheSky：

Because playing is not a productive activity. Playing games should be something you do after a day of hard work. Finishing games does not produce money (not talking about gambling games), nor does it make you socially active in the real world. You are missing out on reality the more you isolate in a game environment. Of course, if you are a streamer and playing games is your job, that is a different story all together.

I do work a lot in real life. I want to be able to sit down and immerse myself. For some reason this agitation has gotten so bad lately.

Then put the games away and start getting some new healthier hobbies and hang out with your friends more often. If after 2 weeks you see an improvement, then you can focus on moderating your time you spend on games and do more of the things that improve your life outside of gaming.

[LionsGateHeartWorm]

引用自 Prowl：

引用自 Ǥɾᴧᴤʆᴧᵯᴧ：

oof thats not easy...
a walk in the park is not enough. try to make it more sporty. go with a bike, go fast, let your body work and feel exhausted. this way you can say you deserved to play a video game to relax from the sports.

This also gives you some free endorphins which is like anti depressant drugs.

That's not a bad idea. I used to take addies like most gamers and go 36 hours straight on my two days off.

[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

That sucks! Good that you're reaching out though.
I've dealt with similar issues, so here are some tips from personal experience:

• Comparing yourself to others is probably not going to offer any relief. Someone else might be doing the same things as you and feel completely different about it. Focus on what you are feeling. and what you need to feel better.
  
• Some activities that are rewarding in small doses, can be detrimental to your mental health if you overdo it. Take breaks, step away from it for a few days or weeks, to give your brain time to reset.
  
• Do other things, preferably activities that don't yield easy rewards. Cleaning, going for a run/hike, etc. This will help your brain reset as well. We're not built for 24/7 easy access to fun (dopamine-releasing) activities.
  
• Be kind to yourself.

If you like podcasts, "Hidden Brain" is one that was very insightful for me. "The Paradox of Pleasure" and its follow-up episode offer some great insights and tips on addiction/dopamine-burnout (whatever you want to call it).
https://open.spotify.com/episode/73hthu5wshqn3uVevKPU9C?si=7166417b5a2f436c

Take care.

[Radec]

引用自 LionsGateHeartWorm：

引用自 Prowl：

This also gives you some free endorphins which is like anti depressant drugs.

That's not a bad idea. I used to take addies like most gamers and go 36 hours straight on my two days off.

Most gamers don't take that. Don't project that onto others?