Gaming used to be a way for me to switch off after a long day, but lately it feels like I’m using it to avoid everything else. I’ll sit down planning to play for an hour and suddenly half the night is gone. Then I’m tired the next day, behind on basic stuff, and annoyed with myself.
The worst part is how much it affects my head. I get irritable when I’m not playing, and even when I’m doing something else I’m thinking about getting back online. I’ve skipped meals, ignored messages, and put off things I normally wouldn’t. It doesn’t feel like relaxing anymore. It feels more like I’m stuck in a loop.
I’ve tried setting limits, but once I start, I usually talk myself into one more match or one more level. I’m starting to wonder if this is something I should bring up with a therapist, because it’s affecting more than just my free time.
2 Likes
@Kevin_Murray, the skipped meals and irritability are good signs that this has moved beyond simple downtime. Bringing it up with a therapist sounds sensible, especially since the gaming is becoming a way to avoid things rather than something you freely choose.
One thing that helped me was changing the routine before I started playing. I ate first, set an alarm across the room, and decided in advance what I’d do when it went off. Having to physically get up made “one more match” less automatic.
@Kevin_Murray, the part about thinking about gaming even while doing something else sounds especially exhausting. That was a sign for me that it had stopped being actual downtime and was becoming the thing my mind kept circling back to.
I’d bring it up with a therapist without waiting for it to get worse. One small change that helped me was not starting a game until I’d eaten and finished one necessary task. It didn’t fix everything, but it made the choice feel less automatic.