Playing ACNL all the time?

I have general and social anxiety, panic attacks, & depression. I am frequently emotionally isolated, deal with a parent who has a undiagnosed mental illness, and haven't had friends since about three years ago. Animal Crossing isn't just a game for me like Mario or Donkey Kong would be. You walk away feeling empty and back to the monotonous. I find it fully immersive and it lifts my spirits. It's a place to visit when I need to remember that there are better days and better places. I feel refreshed.

Smiling faces that are happy to see me and want to be around me. Little reminders in letters from cranky villagers to 'not go crying about silly stuff', letters from my Mom that cheer me up with thoughtful gifts, or notes from Marshal saying how he had this one dream that I was a mermaid with spaghetti hair, or was too shy to say in person he thinks I'm irreplaceable. For me it's the little things that count the most. Just a chance to live another life and forget about the problems for a while, laugh it off, and help some villagers out or focus on the town. That's what counts for me the most. I haven't found another game like this.

I makes me feel less alone seeing how many people also use animal crossing to help cope with their depression and other things. Having real-life friends very hard I tend to isolate myself from everyone except my boyfriend and closest friend. I have to much anxiety and panic at the thought of making someone dislike me. So knowing in AC my villagers all care about me, it makes it so so so much easier to deal with my anxiety. But yeah it's not just a game for me it's how I handle my mental illness again it's nice seeing just how much AC can help people rather it be mental illness/physical disability etc it's just good knowing people have something

It helps me to calm down too. It is never wrong to do something you love. If I have to take a month break or something, I won't be worried because I can go back to the place I started, like if I stop on the 18th of February, 2012 for example (yes, I time travel in the game) then I go and look in my activity log and find the date I last finished and everything there is fine without villagers going away or anything.

its a big problem if you play it everyday 24/7...

i played acnl 24/7 almost every day for a whole year and a half. whenever my parents knocked on my door and asked me if i wanted to come ice skating or hiking i would always say no and just pretend to be sleeping or sick and then bust open my 3ds and play acnl. i wish my parents took away my 3ds, i was nonstop acnl. anyways it is good and necessary to get away from acnl and video games in general. especially if you're on them a lot, and animal crossing is one of those games that makes time go by fast so you never wanna stop playing, but you gotta dude... like... just make a schedule and only put in like 1 or 2 hours a day. it gives you enough time to do stuff in town, even more if you time travel. and then you can schedule things in-game. a whole day dedicated to island tours, a day for decorating, friends, etc... plus this will make the game more enjoyable and not make it get old fast. im planning to do this for the next game

I don't think it's bad, but my priorities in life are messed up anyway lol so I don't think I have the best advice here. AC is really enjoyable and fun.

I think it's all up to you. What i mean? If you think that is enough, well... It's enough, but if you think you still can handle it, just handle it.

It's all about you keep playing the game and the game not start playing with you.