We are used to treating gaming as a way to chill after a stressful day. A lot of people tend to choose gaming over other hobbies. When playing, it feels like the brain finally gets the desired rest. Besides, you quickly fall for this activity. Unlike other occupations, playing video games doesn’t require any apps for habit forming; it happens naturally: one moment you just pick a game, and the next moment you find yourself playing every evening without any exceptions.
But regular and especially prolonged gaming has a serious impact on your mental health. Let’s probe deeper into the direct effects it may have.
How prolonged gaming affects your mental health
- Increased anxiety: Constant gaming can elevate stress and anxiety levels, especially when players become obsessed with in-game outcomes or competition. When the game is on, you forget it is not real, so the emotions rise high, and the negative can get really overwhelming.
- Sleep disruption: Late-night gaming sessions can interfere with sleep patterns, leading to sleep deprivation. And this might get really serious, provoking mood disorders and even cognitive function problems.
- Social isolation: Extended gaming may replace real-world interactions, leading to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Important relationships might get neglected in favor of virtual connections, so a gamer lacks real-life communication and struggles to maintain it later.
- Impaired cognitive function: Long hours of gaming, especially in fast-paced games, may lead to issues with attention span, memory, and decision-making. The reason is overexposure to stimulating content, so the human brain loses its ability to function properly without high stimulation. That is how you form a habit that is hard to abandon.
- Increased aggression: Violent video games have been linked to heightened aggression in some individuals, especially when gaming becomes a primary coping mechanism for frustration or anger. That’s why, with time, you may notice that you lose the ability to react in a calmer manner, and your whole personality starts to change.
- Addiction: Gaming can become compulsive, leading to a gaming disorder. Individuals may prioritize gaming over daily responsibilities, affecting work, school, and social life. It only happens with time, that’s why prolonged gaming is often viewed as a threat to previous routines.
- Mood swings: Excessive gaming may contribute to mood instability, where players experience emotional highs and lows, triggered by game success or failure. Besides, it even gets harder for a gamer to recognize and name their emotions as they differ a lot from what a person used to feel before. The feelings become intense and less varied, getting polarized: there are mainly peak excitement and strong anger, with less in-between states.
How to prevent stress and burnout from gaming
You don’t have to give up your favorite hobby completely if you want to decrease the risks of negative consequences. But there are some lifehacks to use if you want to have a stable emotional background and still enjoy your favorite hobby.
Set time limits
Establish boundaries for gaming sessions, ensuring they don’t interfere with other important activities such as work, social interactions, and sleep. But if you already find yourself in a situation that borders addiction, start small: make your sessions 30-60 minutes shorter.
Try to make sure you still prioritize vital activities and connections.
Take regular breaks
Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away to rest your eyes and reset your focus. A short pause doesn’t feel so irritating and is totally doable, so this rule gets pretty easy to implement.
Besides letting your eyes rest, you also give your nervous system a chance to wind down a little, allowing yourself to return to the real world and letting your brain get a reminder that the game is still a fantasy.
Develop a routine
Structure your day with a balance of work, leisure, and self-care to prevent gaming from taking over your schedule and causing burnout.
You don’t have to leave gaming for last (if your working or studying schedule allows you to). Plan some short gaming sessions in the middle of the day to get your dopamine and relax between the important tasks.
Create a healthy wake-sleep schedule
Set a consistent bedtime and avoid gaming at least an hour before sleep to maintain a healthy sleep cycle and improve mental clarity. Waking up and going to sleep at the same time every day lets you get clearer signals from your body, so there will be a lower risk of giving up all of your time to the game and getting bad rest.
Limit exposure to violent content
Reduce exposure to high-intensity, violent video games that may increase aggression or anxiety. Although intuitively we might choose such games to relieve our stress, in the long run, they only add to our feeling of overwhelm.
Instead, try opting for games with positive, calming content. They might seem boring at first sight, but as long as you find the one with the setting that suits your interests, you will notice how engaging such games can actually be.
Seek professional help
If gaming becomes a source of stress or begins to impact your life negatively, consider speaking with a therapist or counselor to address underlying issues. There is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is always a good idea to care about your mental well-being.
Gaming can become an addictive hobby if done mindlessly. But if you have a thoughtful approach and keep things under control, you can keep gaming a relaxing and pleasant hobby.