Update and relapse

[Colonel]

Hi Guys.

Thought I'd give an update as I've not posted for a while.

Was doing well until after Christmas when I had a bad relapse and have played almost all the weekends through January and have got quite down. Definitely see a link between depressive episodes and extended gaming times. Also found that I was replacing one antisocial habit for others e.g. watching boxsets and reading fiction books.

Going to join a couple of meet up groups so I'm not in the house so much to avoid temptation and to socialise more, any other suggestions that have worked for you guys?

 

[Cam Adair]

Hey Colonel,

Thanks for the update. Meetup groups are the right idea. The more you can get out the better. Also, any idea what the root of your depressive episodes is? That can help you avoid the vulnerability of relapse in the future.

[wookieshark88]

Having a baby helped me a lot!  You probably don't want to do that without really planning it out though, haha.

On a serious note, meditation has been great for me.  Spending time to take care of my mind gives me a huge boost in my day and makes not playing games easier.

[Colonel]

Hi Cam and Wookie.

The depressive episodes are likely a mixture of things, but definately noticed spikes when I contemplate the future and/or when I feeling like I'm not getting anywhere or being trapped. Gaming doesn't help because it both calms and feeds that cycle, I end up escaping with games from the low mood and then feeling bad about misspent time.

Wookie I've tried meditation before but struggled with quieting my mind or not falling asleep, can you recommend any resources you found helpful?

[Cam Adair]

Have you read The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson yet? If not that's a great book to start with. Also this video on finding your purpose can help you with the feeling of not getting anywhere.

If you get anxious or depressed about the future I would recommend for you to create a vision of what your ideal future does look like. If you could create anything in the next 6 months or a year. What would it be? What about two years? Where are you trying to go and what do you feel INSPIRED by?