rkalajian

Yesterday was my 2 year anniversary! I can't say that it's been easy, or that I still don't constantly think about playing video games, but I can say with certainty that it IS possible to live life without them! I've had my ups and downs, but overall I'm leading a much happier, healthier life. I've taken up new hobbies, read a ton of books, and am enjoying more quality time with my family. Don't give up. You can do it. It's worth it!

Hey! Haven't posted much here in a long time, but today is my 1 year anniversary since quitting video games. It's possible, people!

I hit my first 90 days this past Friday! I've posted a bit more about it in my Personal Journey, but the TL:DR is that I'm feeling great!

10/17/22 - Day 93 Well, folks, I've done. This past Friday was 90 days since I started this whole journey. To be honest, while it felt great, it was a bit anti-climactic. My life has changed so much since I started, and Friday felt like just another day. Another checkbox ticked off on my Habit Tracker. Another day without video games. I don't have very many cravings at all these days, and I feel lucky to have been able to rid myself of them with relative ease compared to some. These days I'm spending my free time relaxing, reading, yo-yo'ing, or walking with the family. While I still have a lot to work on in my personal life, I'm a more patient and present person, and every aspect of my life has benefited from this. To all of those who have accomplished this, and more, thank you for your inspiration. For those of you still struggling, keep on with it! Your life will be much more rich and fulfilling without gaming. What's next for me? The next 90 days. --- Here's some daily habits I've maintained so far: 10-minute guided meditations Reading Books I'm currently reading: Rhythm of War Sojourn Recently recently Finished: Dawnshard Exile Current Activities: Yoyo tricks

9/22/22 - Day 68 Life has been flying by at a hectic pace lately, with both my wife and I extremely busy at work. Thankfully we've had moments here and there to slow down a bit, but I'll certainly be happy once things calm down a bit. As for cravings, they're pretty much gone, but I'm sure they'll come back eventually. I continue to keep up with mediation, reading, and learning new yoyo tricks. At day 68, my anxiety and stress levels are WAY down, and I feel like I'm even handling work stress better than I ever have in my life. Do I miss video games? Hell yeah. Has my life been better since giving them up? Definitely. I'm way past the half-way mark of my initial 90-day detox, and I'm excited to see where things go from here. --- Here's some daily habits I've maintained so far: 10-minute guided meditations Reading Books I'm currently reading: Dawnshard Exile Recently recently Finished: Oathbringer Homeland Current Activities: Creating stickers Yoyo tricks Interests I've been looking into, but haven't started: Mini block architecture kits "Book Nook" model kits

Meditation is great at helping so many things, but for me it's a way of calming anxiety and stress, both which have been major factors in my urge to game in the past. Keeping up with it daily has compounded the effects, and has certainly made me feel calmer and more in control of my emotions overall. I highly recommend it!

Aw, man. I'd love to visit Armenia (I'm Armenian.) Glad to hear things are going your way! Keep up the great work!

Sounds like an amazing day! Keep it up! It gets easier and easier.

It's best that you try and control your urges. They will fade over time, but you also need to keep your mind occupied in other ways. You can do it!

9/13/22 - Day 59 It's hard to believe that it's been almost 60 days since I've played a video game, but here I am. Things continue to get easier and easier, though I've recently been having dreams where I relapse, then feel guilty for breaking my streak. Thankfully these dreams don't lead to cravings, but it has certainly contributed to some nighttime anxiety. This past weekend was super busy. I spent most of Saturday working on my car, a coworker coming over to help me take care of some issues that would have been WAY more expensive to have the shop fix. On Sunday the family and I went to a local fair where we ate some great food, saw tons of animals, and the kids got to go on some rides. An overall exhausting, though rewarding, weekend. This week started off incredibly busy, and will continue to be so, but at least I get to hang out with a buddy of mine who's back in the office from Florida for a week. Even better news is that he's moving back to CT in December, so we can start hanging out regularly outside of work again. Not much else to report. I'm still learning new yoyo tricks, which has been great for keeping me occupied in larger periods of downtime. I've also stared reading through some comics I've been meaning to read for a while, which has been a great supplement to the novels I've been working through. --- Here's some daily habits I've maintained so far: 10-minute guided meditations Reading Books I'm currently reading: Oathbringer Homeland Recently read comics: Alien Salvation Current Activities: Creating stickers Yoyo tricks Interests I've been looking into, but haven't started: Mini block architecture kits "Book Nook" model kits

I really dig the "Game Over" hoodie, but I'm not a fan of pullover hoodies :) If they had a zip-up I'd be all over it!

Good luck! You've already got a track record of success, and it sounds like you're ready to take on the world!

It sounds like you're very self-aware of your feelings, which will go a long way into helping you stay sober. Being able to realize when you're craving, why you're craving, and why you currently feel as "foggy" as you do is excellent, and I'm sure you'll be successful in your journey!

9/7/22 - Day 53 Things have been going very smoothly, with very little cravings to play video games, or other bad habits. I'm now starting to focus on bettering my relationships with my family and friends. The biggest issue I face now is I tend to dissociate when confronted, leading me to seem cold and emotionless. This is especially the case when my wife and I argue, generally escalating things past where they really should go. I'll be bringing this up with my therapist the next time we talk, but by doing some initial digging I've found that asking for a moment to collect my thoughts helps my emotions catch up to the situation, allowing to me have meaningful conversations without brushing things off and presenting a blank face. I've also started to become more vocal about my addiction and my progress of sobriety with people other than family and close friends. I distance myself from video game chat with people at work, and politely tell them why. I've surprisingly gotten more support and acceptance than I initially believed I would. It certainly helps! In other news, school is in full swing with the kids, which means there are days where I'll be home alone while my wife goes to work (I work from home 3-4 days a week.) So far it has been pretty easy to avoid gaming, and I hope that continues to be the case going forward. --- Here's some daily habits I've maintained so far: 10-minute guided meditations Reading Books I'm currently reading: Oathbringer Homeland Current Activities: Creating stickers Yoyo tricks Interests I've been looking into, but haven't started: Mini block architecture kits "Book Nook" model kits

You're doing great! Keep it up. You can do it!