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Playing to help with anxiety?
- Thread starter Spooky.
- Start date
Exactly!! I just want to meet people and wander through pretty towns.
Also, happy early birthday! I turn 30 next May. If you'd like we can trade friend codes - come visit whenever
I love this whole forum because it's helped me learn a lot about the games as well as helped me progress in the games in ways I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I love being able to talk about the game and play as well.
As for your last point, I agree on facing our issues, but when things get really difficult it's always nice to know there is something to look forward to that'll help calm me down for a while. After dealing with the stress of life (and I've had a ton of that lately), it's nice to unwind at the end of the day when my anxieties and depression have really pent up and just relax with my game.
That sounds like a great idea!
Possibly. I get kind of nervous playing with people I don't know though.
I'm 23 and people tell me too that I am far too old to be playing 'silly' games like Animal crossing but ya know what, I ignore them, its my life and I enjoy play AC becuase it relaxes me more than watching TV, more than watching a movie. There is truly something about this game, neigh this COMMUNITY and makes us feel supportive to each other and I love it.
Charcolor
icon: mayor maker by kyoosh
my long-distance girlfriend (who lives in france) was the first person i ever played animal crossing with. she disappeared in may. i'm still waiting for her. even if she doesn't love me anymore, i'm okay with that, as long as she's happy and safe. and i'm waiting for another sign that she's at least alive.
sometimes i get entangled in the thoughts of her possibly being dead, the thought of the first person i fell in love with dying, and it's suffocating. but in animal crossing, i can see her. i can visit her dream town and walk around, i can sit on the picnic blanket where we sat just before her game crashed, i can go in the back room where i went the first time we played. when i had to leave, i typed the word "kiss" into the chat bar. i didn't know what else to do. i hadn't unlocked club lol so i was emotionless.
i want to play with her again. the first time we played, i discovered that she, like lots of people here, used the game as an escape from her depression. i think that's why her town is called happy.
and i've started using it as an escape too. learning about the fish at the museum while listening to a relaxing music loop calms me down. so does talking to villagers and going to the island to go on tours.
i'm sorry, i don't know exactly how to explain it, but animal crossing helps push my grief for my girlfriend at the back of my mind. which is weird, because the game reminds me a lot of her. especially her favorite villager, alfonso.
sometimes i get entangled in the thoughts of her possibly being dead, the thought of the first person i fell in love with dying, and it's suffocating. but in animal crossing, i can see her. i can visit her dream town and walk around, i can sit on the picnic blanket where we sat just before her game crashed, i can go in the back room where i went the first time we played. when i had to leave, i typed the word "kiss" into the chat bar. i didn't know what else to do. i hadn't unlocked club lol so i was emotionless.
i want to play with her again. the first time we played, i discovered that she, like lots of people here, used the game as an escape from her depression. i think that's why her town is called happy.
and i've started using it as an escape too. learning about the fish at the museum while listening to a relaxing music loop calms me down. so does talking to villagers and going to the island to go on tours.
i'm sorry, i don't know exactly how to explain it, but animal crossing helps push my grief for my girlfriend at the back of my mind. which is weird, because the game reminds me a lot of her. especially her favorite villager, alfonso.
Dorian, I loved what you said earlier. As an older Bear without cubs of my own yet with many cubs from other Mamas around me that are my responsibility IRL - my town and my villagers are truly my own. I invited them into my town. I care for them. It gives me something that is soothing to my soul.
That would be so much fun!
Namstar - I think the forums are so meaningful to us because we all come with our baggage from IRL, and come here to talk about cuddly digital animals who become our friends and send us letters. Animal Crossing is larger than us, and is so healing to many of us.
That would be so much fun!
Namstar - I think the forums are so meaningful to us because we all come with our baggage from IRL, and come here to talk about cuddly digital animals who become our friends and send us letters. Animal Crossing is larger than us, and is so healing to many of us.
visibleghost
ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ
I have really bad anxiety and depression and playing animal crossing definitely helps me some days. Some days I'm not feeling good enough to play more than just checking the shops and talking a bit to my villagers, but it always makes me a bit relieved that they are super nice to you. I have a sheep friend who calls me honeybun, gives me free chairs and doesn't get mad at me when I can't hang out with her. that's p sweet.
My villagers always make me feel better about myself, I honestly don't get why some people want the villagers to be meaner like they were in previous games..... If I had a bad day and my villagers were telling me I'm the worst I wouldn't want to play anymore
My villagers always make me feel better about myself, I honestly don't get why some people want the villagers to be meaner like they were in previous games..... If I had a bad day and my villagers were telling me I'm the worst I wouldn't want to play anymore
Belle of Pripyat
Funky Town
I read through this thread earlier today and I wanted to give it some thought before I replied. I enjoy the game a lot, obviously, but I don't think it helps with my anxiety. I can't really "enjoy" the game until I do my chores, which have to be done in a certain order: read my mail, find fossils/ore/bells, talk to villagers, shop, and then write and mail letters. I must do those things, so it actually causes me a slight amount of anxiety until I'm finished. The only thing that helps me deal with anxiety is exercise.
Kittyinpink87
Animal Lover
I dont have anxiety , but playing the game everyday really helps with loneliness.
DJStarstryker
Senior Member
Ignore them. I'm 9 years older than you and video games is one of my main hobbies. Everyone needs a hobby, IMO. There's plenty of adults that wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they no longer had to work, raise kids, or had other responsibilities because they HAVE NO HOBBIES. I think that's sad. Do something fun in your down time. Life isn't just about working until you die.
Belle - I feel the same if I think of those things as things that I "have" to do. Somedays I don't dig up fossils. Some days I don't shop. The only thing I always do is talk to my villagers if they ping me. I've gone days where I've ignored certain villagers cause I can't be bothered stopping what I'm doing to talk to them.
I can see that causing some anxiety. I have things in life I must do in a certain order or a certain way or I feel crappy the whole day. Thankfully I've never experienced that with AC but I understand how you feel. I get really upset when I can't do things a certain way or get interrupted.
radioloves
Senior Member
I don't have very many friends, just some close friends that I talk to now and then, Acnl is greaat to just spend the rest of my life on xD
My villagers are my bffs, especially Phil, Marshal, and Antonio. Animal squad haha
rainbow_smite
Senior Member
I'm an anxious mess a lot of time (mostly in public) and I've been diagnosed with depression and it actually does help sometimes with relaxing. Not really in public though. I've played in public before and I was still a mess. But it's something constructive to do and gives some happy goals to work for.
Not much helps me when I'm around a lot of people except escaping from them. But at least it's something to look forward to when I get home.
