For those with mental illness, anxieties and such, how has Animal Crossing helped you cope?

[UnendingHope]

For me animal crossing brought me a lot of calm and relaxing times throughout the past 7-8 years and have helped me in some of my toughest times. I think Animal Crossing is an amazing coping skill and it has done amazing things for my anxiety and depression

 

[Insulaire]

I don’t have any medical issues but this game absolutely kept me sane and stable throughout all this COVID craziness and continues to do so

 

[Dunquixote]

I can’t say the game itself has had an impact on my coping skills tbh; my coping skills at home has been significantly improving for awhile, even before I got the system and game (though not around my dad) but I agree is a relaxing game and the things that my villagers say regardless how repetitive it may be - or at least in NL it helped cheer me up.

Here’s one example of something always made me smile:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1241842845784424450

 

[Katzenjammer]

It hasn't help me cope at all. It's basically a nice distraction and relaxing thing to do when I'm able to, imo. That's just me, though.

 

[Louise_]

This game has helped out a lot it cone out at a really good time with lockdown and everything going on it’s a great game to play

 

[Islander]

I would say it has helped to keep me sane with doing 'normal' things (even though its a game!) such as chat to friends at a normal distance and be able to wonder about without having to worry about social distancing. I am a bit paranoid in real life and my mental health has suffered as a result though I am better than I was at peak lockdown. Also, Animal Crossing just gave me something to do when lockdown was at its most restrictive. The game was perfect timing for that, just before lockdown was introduced where I live.

 

[tybalt_cake]

back in 2015 I was at a dark time of my life , I had no friends , a little bit of bullying , my family wouldn't help too much either at my issues.

but i remember playing ACNL and it changed my life , the game and it's community had brought to me so many good things.

 

[marieheiwa]

strangely enough, not really. the game is too relaxing, so if i’m having a bad time mentally i feel stuck with my thoughts. if i’m going to play a game to cope i prefer something like dark souls

 

[Chibiusa]

It's just another distraction like other games and things like watching videos on YT. If only something as simple as a video game could be a cure to a mental illness, lol.

 

[Xara]

i live with diagnosed depression, anxiety and social anxiety. animal crossing has helped me out quite a bit, especially during this tragic and everlasting pandemic, but one of the main ways that it’s helped me is with my social anxiety; social interactions of any kind make me nauseatingly anxious and so i tend to avoid them. but animal crossing makes those interactions a bit easier; i’ve made so many friends through animal crossing and on this forum - it’s mainly through my posting constant lurking and the occasional trade but i figure, any social interaction no matter how small is a step in the right direction, right?

i’m still anxious and i’m always on edge during conversations + trades but i feel safe here and that’s something i’ve never really had before so i guess in a way, animal crossing has finally given me a community i feel i belong in. i’ve even hung out with my friend @Izuku Midoriya a few times and while it might seem like a trivial thing, it’s something i wouldn’t of had the nerve to do a few years ago so in a way, animal crossing has helped me to grow as a person, too, and face the things that make me anxious rather than run from them c’:

this precious lil baby is also very good at providing my daily dose of serotonin, too, so there’s that

 

[TheSillyPuppy]

Honestly, the game itself doesn't help me cope with my anxiety. It is a welcome distraction and source of relaxation (when I'm not getting frustrated with some of the game's mechanics, haha) after a long day of work though. The forums are another source of community and social connection, something I think a lot of folks are lacking nowadays due to the big C.

 

[Lotusblossom]

oh god it really hasnt and only has made things worse.. But it did get me to do art again and i love pixel art

 

[loveclove]

For me, it is a distraction, sometimes I get more relaxed and sometimes not.. I need to pay attention because being alone in my room playing in my comfort zone, I could live doing just that

 

[IslaYuka]

I have OCD but for me it mostly helped me get through the first lockdown back in March.

 

[Gengei]

For me animal crossing brought me a lot of calm and relaxing times throughout the past 7-8 years and have helped me in some of my toughest times. I think Animal Crossing is an amazing coping skill and it has done amazing things for my anxiety and depression

I think it has helped me a ton, actually. It's really soothing I feel

 

[John Wick]

Usually AC helps with anxiety and stress.

NH, however, has caused me more stress and grief than any other game.

Try to chop wood, and the axe breaks.
It takes the wood I JUST CHOPPED to make another axe.

That's just one of a hundred things.

 

[rose star]

It's suuuper soothing and relaxing! It's a creative outlet where I can design things and express myself, and it's been a great thing socially as I can play with friends, talk with people about it, etc. I've got anxiety and recently had to quarantine myself at home for nearly a month, while my roommate was sick with COVID, which was the most terrifying experience (thankfully I did not get sick, and my roommate is okay now!!). Pouring all my attention and energy into flattening and redoing my island during those few weeks was a huge part of what helped me stay sane during that time. It's been really good to have a project, especially one that's not particularly connected to reality. Plus nearly everyone in the AC community (especially on this site!!) is so nice!

 

[heaven.]

NL was my first AC game, I played it lots especially at nighttime when my several anxiety disorders + insomnia would keep me awake. I have a lot of fond memories hanging out on the island and meeting new people, the mini games were very fun (and I wish they'd add something similar to NH).

NH has also helped me. My grandmother passed away this past Easter, and I played lots of NH to distract and cope. I even have a spot on my island dedicated to her. I do feel a little sad that she never got to watch me play though, I brought my Switch to her apartment often and showed her my favourite games. Didn't get that chance with NH

 

[avieators]

animal crossing as a franchise has always helped me calm my constant racing thoughts, stress and anxiety. i've relied on it a lot through the past 5 months with the pandemic and injustice going on in the world,,,additionally i've struggled with anger issues all my life and it...recently caused me to lose several friends, so i jumped back into acnh after a month or so of absence and once again, it's helped me feel calmer and less likely to make an ill thought out decision.

right before i took a break i was getting a little too much into it and ended up stressed and anxious bc i felt like i wasnt moving as fast as everyone else, which meant i was constantly irritated about it and more likely to not think about what i was doing, after The Incident i kind of calmed down and realized theres really no one perfect island to take inspiration from and i'm having fun again!

i live with diagnosed depression, anxiety and social anxiety. animal crossing has helped me out quite a bit, especially during this tragic and everlasting pandemic, but one of the main ways that it’s helped me is with my social anxiety; social interactions of any kind make me nauseatingly anxious and so i tend to avoid them. but animal crossing makes those interactions a bit easier; i’ve made so many friends through animal crossing and on this forum - it’s mainly through my posting constant lurking and the occasional trade but i figure, any social interaction no matter how small is a step in the right direction, right?

this is so incredibly valid and resonates with me bc i've been diagnosed with all of these things too! social anxiety in particular is an enormous constant hurdle for me to overcome, i only really started interacting with online communities this year after about 6 yrs lurking, with just a few irl friends i kept from high school...and ended up getting burned a little bit oof regardless, i'm still trying! several people chose to remain friends with me despite the fact that i'd made a mistake and they're what we in the business call the Real Ones :3 social anxiety and rejection is tough but i'm sure we can make it!

 

[Shellzilla_515]

I wouldn't say that I've had any mental illness, but I believe that Animal Crossing has made an impact on my life. Prior to knowing the series, things were getting a little rough during my first year at high school (back in 2014). Later that year during the holidays, my sister decided to ask for either Tomodachi Life or Animal Crossing New Leaf. According to my father, the games were on sale at the time so he chose New Leaf obviously. At first glance, I thought it would be one of those average games. Boy, was I wrong. I got hooked to it almost immediately and spent hours playing the game, including the times in high school during breaks. At the same time, I even made a few of friends and told them about the game to the point we would make inside jokes about the game and my villagers. One of my friends has a thing going against Gruff for some reason lol.

Aside from occupying my free time, Animal Crossing has also inspired me to get into drawing after seeing many people doing fanart. I remember when I first started out and it was pretty sloppy. I still have some of them to this day! Thankfully, over the years, I've improved a fair bit after looking through how to improve my drawings. Eventually, I wanted to get into animation and finally had the chance to do so a few months back. It was my first time and only lasted a few seconds so I'll be sure to take more steps forward!

What I'm saying is, Animal Crossing helped make many memories during high school and beyond, also sparking my passion to draw and do some animation. If I wasn't introduced into the series at all, I think my life would've been very different, probably not even having the dream to pursue in animation someday. And to think it all started with one video game that my sister asked for...

Since I'm still a fan of the series, I obviously decided to buy New Horizons on release day (still remember how I had to be cautious, even cleaning the game box with sanitizing wipes!). It's helped a lot and still keeps the flame going for me to continue doing my passions.