Gaming as an Escape: Balancing Dreams, Career, and Mental Health

We don't have much growing up, I always envy kids who had the latest toys and video games at school and even on the streets. When I finally got my hands on a play station 1 and a GameBoy, it became my escape from reality. The promise I made to my younger self was simple: when I grew up, I would buy all the toys and play all the video games I wanted.

Role-playing games where I could be anyone and achieve great things reeled me into the realm of gaming addicts. The sense of being myself, the joy of accomplishing tasks, and the gratitude from helping fellow players became addictive. Gaming became a source of happiness and a way to relieve stress in my life. As I reflect on my life now, I realize that gaming became a double-edged sword. While it provided an escape and a sense of accomplishment, I also found myself focusing excessively on playing games. Instead of focusing on personal and career growth, gaming became my main quest in life and my work responsibilities are just side quests. Despite excelling in my job and being offered significant positions, I felt stagnant and unfulfilled, as if my career was just a side quest and I will rather be a grandmaster in a game than a president of a company.

The major problem that I face as a gamer is always chasing time. While playing games, the concept of time can be lost because you will be in the moment and enjoying the whole experience. With that effect, I always want to be the first to be online and grind. I almost always start my day by opening my rig and playing video games. Even at work sometimes, I have a game opened on one screen and my work on the second.

Multi tasking this kind of stuff sacrifices the quality of my work and gives a tremendous effect on my eye's health because it doesn't have enough time to rest. Making me unhealthy, being unhealthy I get so irritated easily, and sometimes my mind floats. My span of attention shorten also because I am addicted to gaming, the thought of 'finish this seminar or meeting already, I want to get back to gaming' always enters my mind. Recognizing the impact gaming has had on my overall well-being, I've come to understand the importance of finding a healthy balance. While gaming brings joy and fulfillment, I also need to prioritize other aspects of my life, such as career growth and personal relationships. Accepting positions with more significant responsibilities has highlighted the need to focus on my professional development and contribute more to my institution.

Gaming has served as both an escape and a passion in my life. However, I've realized that achieving balance is crucial for my mental health, career growth, and overall well-being. By consciously managing my gaming habits, setting boundaries, and prioritizing my responsibilities, I can fully enjoy the benefits of gaming while ensuring that it doesn't overshadow other important aspects of my life.

While gaming I have experienced moments of emotional intensity and difficulty. There have been times when I became excessively invested in a game, and setbacks or failures within the game triggered frustration, anger, or even a sense of personal inadequacy. These thins affected my mental and emotional health. Since I am always chasing time, I tend to be a little negative about facing things that seems unimportant. I realized that investing too much emotional energy into virtual achievements and setbacks could not replace or address the real-life challenges and emotions I was facing. It became evident that gaming should serve as a form of entertainment, stress relief, and enjoyment, rather than an exclusive means of escape or validation.

As when the decision of improving myself became my priority, I have implemented several strategies:

• Setting clear boundaries: Since I now have positions that have higher responsibilities, I learned to allocate time for each aspect of my life. Chunking tasks into mini goals helps a lot. I learned that by just showing up and doing little task one at a time means so great compared to finishing a game first then working hard after. Applying the Pomodoro Time Management methods is on of my favorite way to allocate time. This helps me allocate sufficient time to each area without neglecting any aspect.

• Engaging in varied activities: I consciously tried out activities that will make be physically active. Exploring other activities, such as going to the gym, cycling, and writing blogs, allowed me to engage different parts of my brain, decompress, and find fulfillment in multiple areas of my life. And now since the introduction of @Splinterlands and @peakd, I got to earn and enjoy the things that I love.

• Mindful gaming: I strive to approach gaming with a more mindful mindset. This involves being aware of my emotions, noticing when gaming starts to become excessive, and taking regular breaks to evaluate my mental state and ensure I am not using it as an escape from real-life challenges.

• Connecting with others: Actively seeking and nurturing social connections both within and outside of the gaming community has been crucial. Engaging in multiplayer games, joining gaming communities, or participating in discussions related to gaming and mental health has provided a sense of belonging and support. Thanks to the @hiveph, @splinterlandstv, @risingstargame,@wearealive, and many more communities in hive, I got to connect socially and learn a lot in life.

Gaming has served as both an escape and a passion in my life. But there should always be a balance of enjoyment and responsibility. We can do so much more as long as we try. I am not a perfect person but I am trying my best to be better every day. Self-reflecting on this kind of stuff helps me mentally improve my life and be prepared for the things it has to offer.

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