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Hey dude, how are things going? I thought I'd bump this journal thread of yours - nicely spelt reminiscent! 😛 So I played the same game for the last 10+ years, suffice that even looking at 'the best gear' was just another 'thing'. I don't know what it's like to have the ability to master a long list of games, and quickly at that - in case that's what you've done. But one thing I've been more aware of this time, as opposed to my detox last year, is how much time I spend thinking about real world activities (helped by reading the news and fiction novels, as well as journals here). When it's time to actually do something, like the gym or a walk, - or even more computer activity job-searching - I find it's already mapped out in my head. For a change, it hasn't been like 'oh s***, I need to face real life again after all these blissful-torturous hours staring at extra-responsive pixels'. I was feeling dead-low yesterday, and all I had to do was vocally talk to myself for 5 minutes before packing my backpack with the basics before going out for a walk and workout that far exceeded my expectations. I'd already been fantasising hard about doing that for 2 hours in the centre of my mind, so once I was one block over and walking, I kind of knew it would happen. ____________ ^ That all sounded like one of the motivational GameQuitter emails I/we get; I still meant every word. You're a good typer; I'm hoping you update soon!

Hey, I hear you! Whoever you kid grows up to be, they will be (and already are) so thankful for your love and compassion. I'm sorry that it is so hard on you; when my mom was working night shifts, my dad and I would get those similar 4hrs of sleep at night, taking shifts cradling my sibling. They refused to fall asleep w/ anyone but her mom.

My mom told me once I was settled into school that I rarely slept regularly as an infant and always wanted attention/to play at odd hours. It must have looked cute enough to her/dad to ward off severe ills. Screaming would be the hardest part for me too. My cousins' new kids all look like their parents. Can you guys see yourselves in him? Regularly thinking that would help me if I were a dad. Sending energy and love - from a long-time misfit ❤️

Thanks for posting something like this. It's so interesting and informative.

Entry 30.04 (Written on 01.05) Day 579: No Useless Videos Day 577: Sticking to Food schedule Day 180: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 171: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -Called a potential job place in the morning as written in the morning goals, even though I had to stop the momentum of the job for it for a couple of minutes, and even though I was a bit scared to tell I'm being fired. -At least 5 pomodoros again... This is more than 0 -Answering a phonecall from potential job place and deciding to go for a meeting despite the first few weeks being (potentially if I'm hired) at least a 45-minute commute away from my home I've got to act quickly since I want to have a job for a few months, and I do not want to let the job search take too much time. 1 Thing I could do better -Maybe reducing olive oil is not the best course of action since I'm underweight but rather switch up my routine to waking up at 4 40 or so am, o that I do 5 pomodoros early in the morning, then even if I eat olive oil a few hours before bed the tasks I'll do, like the workout will be interactive and I'll have less of an urge to doze off...

May 1 It's amazing how while a lot of feelings and situations also journaled about here are new and would be very challenging to me, some others make me feel like we were both right there experiencing the same thing. I tried to read over some of my first entries here this morning, and actually found them painfully awkward. Maybe that's just today, as it's going to be my first workout (not including my walks) after 3 days off. There have been a few weird dreams now in the past week, but last night's was part-memory; I went to the fridge for cold, leftover pizza like it was ten years ago while dimly aware that my world was crashing all around me. It didn't even register what time of day or night that was. The others are for therapy. No real gaming urges, but I played some heavy music that I thought would have sounded cool alongside in-game footage. I once removed almost all of that music from my devices hoping to be rid of those ideas, but it didn't ultimately work. As usual, I've just been trying to shuffle-skip through my library to songs that match the moment. ______________ Gratitude: ~ leftover meals from my Dad and Nan ~ visiting for lunch with Nan and borrowing 2 more books to read from her library ~ being easily understood and having a somewhat easier time relating ~ warm material bedsheets Peace, ~ Matt

That sounds incredibly difficult! It's ok to vent - it's a stressful situation, even though it's nobody's doing. Do you feel you have a good level of support from family and/or friends?

There's loads of different advice online about journaling, but I agree: the best thing is just to start, and not worry too much initially about what form it will take. It's something to experiment with, not try to get right the first time. You could even alternate between a paper-based one and a digital one, to see what feel right. Although I have a lengthy template, my most basic journal entry is just a one-line summary of what I did that day. I only do that if I'm particularly lazy, but it's still useful for later reflecting on what I've done in the last week or month. Other things on my template (that I don't use daily): dream diary, goal tracker (three goals, no more) and gratitude section. I also automatically have an "On This Day" section linking to journal entries from this day each year (I use Obsidian for journalling, but I assume other software can do this). Some days I might write a thousand words on something that is stressing me out, or I might write up the pros and cons of a big decision, but my average journal entry is just a few sentences about my day, how I felt, and what I hope for tomorrow. Apologies if I interpreted your words too literally!

I'm absolutely struggling. My baby can't sleep in the crib yet, so one of us has to hold him at all times during the night. He'll spit up and scream when he's in there. We're working with the doctor on it. I'm just going to discuss its effects on me though. I get 4 hours of sleep a day now tops. My wife and I each lose half the day covering each other while we either sleep or do house stuff. I see so many parents online talking about how they can put their kids in a bouncer or something or they sleep in a crib. My wife and I are getting very irritable and there is animosity brewing. We're arguing more than ever before because of it. But we're not fighting if that makes sense. It's more just trying to communicate properly. I've never felt the urge to relapse more than I have now. I'm so desperate to play mobile games while I hold my baby for the 4 hour shift. I'm watching tv Instead. Idk if that's any different. Probably not. He fucking screams bloody murder if you put him down and he's not on you. It's unreal. I love bonding with him but I can't do any of my hobbies, health upkeep, house upkeep, rest, communicate with people, go shopping, etc. I'm glad he's not in the hospital anymore. Things have gotten a lot better. It's just difficult because he doesn't sleep on his own or even lay down for 10 minutes yet. I miss writing my book. I haven't written in 4 months. The newborn period for a baby is unbelievably difficult. Please keep in mind I love my wife and son more than anything in the world and love this time with them too. I'm not complaining about that. It's just the fact that the journey has been so difficult every step of the way. I'm just beat down.

Hello Game Quitters Members. I'm doing good so far in general. I decided to continue to write my second book which it's way better written compare to my first book in general which it's fine because my first book I was not knowing how to properly how to write a book in general. Now for exercise today. Unfortunately I have to hold off by the time I write this update in general. Because from what I understand with this blood pressure reading is that if I exercise before going to the doctor's office there is going to be a misread on their blood pressure machine in general, I heard that from this channel name KenDBerryMD on YouTube about blood pressure misreading in general. All I can say I'm glad I am truly taking care of myself in general by exercising 7x per week with strength training and cardio training with elliptical machine in general, I already found what works for me with physical fitness and just tracking calories (which the local medical professionals have a hard time telling me that or educate themselves properly instead of relying on medical related research sources) and yeah I also asked lifestyle questions and the answer were not good were also rushed too so never again. All well. Again, as long I'm exercising with strength and cardio...then I'm fine since 2019. Overall with that nonsense, I feel great about myself physically and lifestyle wise without playing video games all day being sedentary while not taking care of myself in general both hygiene wise and of course physically in general before 2019 in general. Now I learned to not repeat my mistakes from my younger years and I still get negative response and get looked on on from people who don't exercise consistently and obviously don't know how to find something else talk about instead of gossiping about my weight, thankfully I already know I don't care what people subjectively think is usually subjective and not objective as facts or not related to something they know that it's better to ask me on. So yeah dang if I do something productive in the present day, dang if I don't do the stuff I didn't do compare to what I'm doing in present day. People including these professionals will usually find something negative about someone in my point of view. The best thing to do is just simply ignore and do what I need to do in general. I don't care what people think. Alright. I'm going to continue my day. Bye Game Quitters Members.

Entry 29.04 (Written on 30.04) Day 578: No Useless Videos Day 576: Sticking to Food schedule Day 180: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 17069: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -Bodyweight back and shoulder workout right after deliveries -At least 5 pomodoros -1.5 hrs job search + updating resume 1 Thing I could do better -Probably I'm gonna have to reduce the olive oil after all and see if I'm still being sleepy after dinner, but thursday is best since tomorrow I'm fasting

Hello, 3 days have passed and I've already played once... but, I managed to tear myself away from the game after about 2 hours, just as I planned before playing. After that, I went for a bike ride and cycled for about 2 hours as well, so it's another step towards improvement for me. I'm not angry at myself like before, I'm not abandoning my resolutions, I'm not starting over. I'm fixing what I did wrong and moving forward. I'm on the right track. Over the past few days, I've been performing my duties better, and of course, I've managed to get more done. I even managed to exercise a bit, albeit for just 30 minutes, but it's something. So far, I haven't done anything towards fulfilling my dreams, although what I'm doing now is still a step forward. "I used to be very nice, but it's a flaw that causes more harm than good. It's better to be nice only when necessary." - I wrote that incorrectly. I'll continue to be kind, but I'll watch out not to be taken advantage of. "If there's something to do, I do it; I try my best, but if it doesn't work out, I won't get down if I tried. It's better than doing nothing or doing something half-heartedly." - I realize now that wasn't quite what I wanted to convey either. What I meant is that I'm trying my best and giving it my all, but if a task proves too difficult and there's a way to simplify it, I'll do that. Edit I deleted games. If I'm not a gamer I don't need games.

Day 1 - not relapsing today. I definitely need to back up my commitment w/ some reading- so I will read what I am already reading, just more. Caught myself wanting to order a new book... but no- there is no point! I have gotten so many to read through, already. Today, it is so important to take the time to re-learn focus. Last two weeks have been an increasing disarray, due to a variety of circumstances. Time to do better. Po

Hello Vee, At the beginning, I'd like to thank you very much for reading my posts and adding your input. I've tried deleting all the games. I play ones that can be quickly downloaded again, so it's not a problem to reinstall them. I've also deleted accounts; I can always create new ones because they're free games. That's why I thought I would stop bothering myself with getting rid of those games and consider them less dangerous, but I know that I have other things to do. They're just there, and I can play them whenever I want. Over the past few days, I think this is probably the best approach for me. I only played once for about 2 hours (where normally I would probably spend most of my time playing, if not on PC then on my phone) but after playing, I went cycling for about 2 hours too, for balance. It was challenging for me because I haven't been moving much at all for the past few months, but I managed it and enjoyed it. I'll stick with this "plan" for now because it works for me, not exactly as I would like it to, but still better than nothing. Yea, I used to fall into that trap. I watched motivational videos, felt excited, full of motivation, but after a short time, it all faded, and I went back to my addiction. That's why now I prefer not to watch them at all. I'm planning to start a private journal, I know it can be very helpful, but I'm not sure where to begin and how to start. I suspect I just need to start, no matter how, and then it will somehow shape itself. And things like strength exercises or just maintaining good posture are very difficult for me, but I know I can't just give up, and after some time, it will become normal for me. I feel the same way. It works better for me too, rather than trying to do something perfectly. I agree with you on that too. I've decided to be less nice, but I prefer to quickly think through each situation whether I'm acting according to what I consider right.

Hey, congrats on the hackathons (assuming you won?). And hey, competitions are hard, and jobs are even harder. I'm glad you're still here, and let's keep moving at our own paces! And if you don't know what to do- do nothing. It's a skill not a lot of people have an easy time learning, especially those younger (like me lol). And I mean doing genuinely nothing- like a walk outdoors or simply laying on grass. Let your mind roam, or calm it down- but let it process and be bored! Boredom has been the way out for me, every time.

19 April - 28 April: To quickly go over the events of the past two weeks: 1) I installed my new PC station with the help of my friend and my girlfriend's father. I'm now able to stand while working and I have a 89 centimeter monitor installed. For almost a month I had only used my notebook/sofa after changing the flat at the start of April. 2) I think the flat is fully furnished now. There are just two boxes next to my PC table with papers and documents, but the rest of the boxes are away. 3) I should take advantage of the public healthcare system we have and go for a few checkups. I should look closely into the condition of my spine, my occasional head(aches) and my hearing. I just never seem to make it a priority, because none of them are acute problems. 4) I think I've been over a week or two without porn. I really haven't had the taste for it. 5) I made a blog post on my financial blog after about 8 months. 6) Went shopping for some sport clothes at the weekend. I rode some 40 kilometers on my bike yesterday on the way to my family. 7) My girlfriend and I are going to Slovenia and Italy for the next two weeks. Decided to have several lessons a week with my students online, as the last 12 months or so have been draining on my finance and I've run through my short-term financial reserve. I don't think I've been spending frivolously though, as a big part of it was investing (for into the new PC station, adjustable chair and table - it'll definitely have a positive effect on my health). The long-term reserve/investment into stocks I made mostly in 2021/2022 is +25% up. I just don't want to touch it.

Entry 28.04 (Written on 29.04) Day 577: No Useless Videos Day 575: Sticking to Food schedule Day 179: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 169: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -even though there was left very little time for the gym being opened completed half workout just in time (leg workout, then the chest par at home -Measured myself at in-body machine -Passed my finger through at job before 09 00 1 Thing I could do better -In my last cal when I saw that the girl didn't wanna sign up the same day I could have asked just to write her data at least, this would raise the chance of her eventually signing up

April 29 Yesterday, I went on the spur of the moment to a drama and a comedy show - 1 hour each - with a new friend and another lady who was lost on the way there but got extra tickets. For someone who never liked/hasn't yet grasped the arts of being primarily vocally entertaining, they were both fascinating. In the hours after I got home, I felt like a different person. I put that down to forgetting who I was and what I looked like, after a gym session with the same friend, and focusing on (with the exception of my gut instincts) what other people were feeling and experiencing. Once I'd made the last meal of the day at home, and slept the first half of the night, I got to wondering why I so quickly returned to being myself. Is that what ex-gamers/social 'returners' experience for awhile? I risk going too far into detail here. I have a pamphlet for the remainder of the comedy line-up for May and a bracelet on my table, to prove it all happened, and to examine for a possible return visit to the theatre(s). ___________________ Gratitude: ~ having the spontaneous idea to help the lady find the first theatre, and being invited to it by the same(?) token! ~ seeing and levelling with the other two as people ~ having the energy for a full workout; my cold is definitely finishing up ~ I don't know if this is grateful, but after reading Sophie's Choice, I now have a real taste for emotionally-descriptive language that I realise isn't just everywhere 🫢 Peace, and good luck with the week's start ~ Matt

Hey Vee, good update 🙂 - True; my men's group had a mario kart tournament the weekend before last. I did a low commentary/monologue and deliberately didn't try too hard. - my breakfast recommendation is home brand quick oats, by the kilo. I put them in the microwave and struggle to finish 1 cup after years and years, and they're very reliable energy - 16 days out in a row without a whole one inside in a row is really great; exploring the new suburb when my brother and I moved away from the family home felt smart and adult-ey - proud moments heh

I've signed on for the same reason - the list at the bottom of my post - HALTED (a forum signature from @BooksandTrees) is about checking if anything is out of balance in your day before making a quick decision to just play a game. ^--> So you achieved positive things, but maybe you're now lonely (L) because no one has celebrated the good feelings from them with you yet. Maybe people on an online game will. That's been my problem many times. It can be a tough problem when online becomes the main way to communicate with almost everyone. If it's not too late, I think getting creative with exercise, art/music or writing might be the best 'solo' things to do. I sometimes view my alone time as selfish, but it's mostly just 'checking' my situation the best ways I know how. Good luck 🙃

I don't know if you are still trying to quit games without deleting your games, but...that sounds like trying to quit games on Impossible mode. Personally, I haven't deleted any actual accounts, but I have removed Steam and all other non-Steam games from my PC. I've also removed the games from my PS4 (although I don't really use it for gaming anyway). If I have Steam installed, I'm going to play games. It is second nature to me to roll out of bed and play PC games without even pausing to think about it. It wouldn't matter how much I try to pack my life full of other hobbies and social events, if I have games still installed I would play games: first a little, then a lot, and then be back to playing them constantly. I think it's good to not fall into the trap of watching loads of motivational stuff. What works for one person doesn't work for another, etc. I recommend keeping a private journal, so you can get to know yourself better - when you've played games for so long, it can be hard to even work out who you are outside of that, or pay attention to your physical body (at least that's true for me). A private journal is a good place not just for venting, but also for deciding on experiments you want to try, to figure out what works best for you. E.g. if you want to exercise (or exercise more), you could try switching up the time of day, or how long you exercise, or how much time you have between eating and exercising, and keep track of what makes exercise feel easier to stick to. I would suggest staying flexible, don't set long-term "rules" that you are likely to fail. Personally, I prefer to try things half-heartedly if trying my best feels implausible, but everyone is different. Being "nice" is...complicated. And vague as a concept. I think there is a balance to strike between asserting your boundaries while still being mostly friendly and open-minded, but it's hard. Especially if you have a history of people treating you like dirt or ignoring you - it can make you swing too wildly in either direction.

I am again having an urge to play games. I finally got some things together but it returns. Dont know what to do

Day 0 - a light, but still a relapse. It's all or nothing for this counter. However, this is not the sole measure of my growth. What matters is the change between the times the clock resets. Been in a very difficult place emotionally this whole week, seem to be struggling a lot with getting things done. Sleep deprivation due to work does not help much either, sadly. But, I will continue to strive for my best. There is no excuse not to do that- I want myself to be well. I want myself to be happy. I can't get there through relapsing and escaping in other ways. I must continue to meet myself where I am. Be kind ❤️

Day 10-24 Technically I did game on day 10 or 11, but I don't think it's productive to start my numbering from the beginning just for a blip of an hour or two. I gamed pretty much accidentally, which is the other reason I don't want to renumber it. I was sitting around with my housemate, and then she handed me an N64 controller and I found myself playing Pokemon Snap. I've barely played on the N64 in my life, so I guess somehow I didn't process it as gaming for half an hour. Consoles are certainly not the big danger area that PC games are, but Pokemon Snap is not a party game, so it still goes against my personal rules for what is allowable. It had a definite effect, too. The day after I felt quite drab and had a vague urge to play something, and then two days after that I had a massive urge to play something, anything. I lay on the sofa just staring at the consoles for literal hours, feeling too paralysed by choice to do anything else with my time. Thankfully my housemate later coaxed me out of the house, we went to a friend's house, and my brain started to normalise after that. I've had a few desires to play games since then, but nothing too strong. Admittedly a lot of my time has been spent either watching TV or staring into space, but I have also seen friends, done some planning for a novel, worked a bit on my portfolio, and done online work almost every day. The work is currently consistent enough that I could live off it, but I don't know yet if that's what I'll end up doing long term. Even if I'm spending a lot more time than I'd like staring into space, I've still done a lot more than I would have if I was still playing games. Self-management Routine - I was doing pretty well with my morning routine up until this last week or so. My lack of morning routine is at least partly due to having run out of my usual breakfast cereal. Still, I've managed to at least do a tiny bit of journalling each morning, and I've done at least two hours of online work almost every day. Otherwise...very little routine. Eating - Almost all my food has been from using Too Good to Go, which has been fun and gotten me out of the house. In case people don't know about it - you can get food from cafes and supermarkets that is about to expire for super cheap, but it is a mystery bag, so you don't know what you're going to get. I've tried out various places now, so I know which ones to avoid and which ones are amazingly good value. I haven't necessarily been eating three meals a day, or eating quite enough every day, but there have been no days when I've been unreasonably hungry, and I would estimate I haven't been under 1000 calories for over two weeks. I'm certainly not where I want to be, but I'm not too concerned. Leaving the house - I've been pretty amazing at this - after moving in I left the house 16 days in row! That's definitely the longest streak since 2020, possibly the longest streak in... a decade? Most of the time I've been out for mundane reasons (picking up food), but I have done a bit of exploring. I've only been for three jogs in the last three weeks, but I went to a board game meetup, went round a friend's house several times, and went to the park with a new-ish friend and her child. We also had a housewarming with loads of people, many of whom I didn't know, and I coped really well.

Hi, I’m Shelby. I’m 25 and I have been trying to decide whether to quit / cut down on gaming . I came across game Quitters and this sub when looking up stuff about game burnout . I don’t actually play that much games ( that website says about 800 hours or 80 a year ) and only play about 1 hour or so at a time every few days , and only after I’ve got my school and some exercise done. I am also disabled with Bipolar 2 , Agoraphobia , autism and ADHD which makes it hard to go out and try new things, combined with only getting $100 a month in allowance and not having a job ( I’m working on getting one part time though ). I didn’t think I had a problem with gaming because I played so little but when I do play I find I’m not even enjoying it most of the time. I feel like I’m just compulsively playing to get the game done so I don’t miss out when I do play and can’t wait to get to the next step and be closer to done. However despite this, I still feel like games are a huge part of my identity . I sometiems spend up to a few hours a day on my phone or iPad reading about games and I spend about 1/4 to 1/2 of my limited monthly allowance on games ( I have hundreds of games from bundles or sales that I mostly haven’t tried) I’d like to at least cut down on gaming being part of my identity, kinda redefine myself . Right now I’m feeling like I’d rather read books or watch shows based on or similar to my favorite games than actually play them anyway. Advice and guidance / opinions would be appreciated as well as tips for other hobbies someone with anxiety, bipolar/autism and limited money can do to live more