Mental Health and Gaming — An open discussion
Gaming is one of the industries that is both loved and hated for so many different reasons. Young people, older people and those having a mid-life crisis, everybody can get into gaming.
So, What is esports? Esports is an industry that is still very young and is developing every single day. It is built on professional high-level competition of games, and esport competitions are often arranged by developers of games. For example, The Rocket League Championship Series is professional Rocket League where the best Rocket League players in the world go head-to-head at the highest-level for large sums of money. Gaming and esports is such a difficult industry. It can show the very best of people, but it can also show the very worst of people. We have seen controversy and success at so many levels. People who once had no experience within esports are now working full-time for professional esports organisations, and people who were working full-time in esports are now out of the industry for one of many reasons. Furthermore, we often see very unhealthy mentalities of people working 24/7 on esports, balancing working, being parents, education and hobbies all alongside being involved in esports. It is a struggle for a lot of people, and one key reason we would like to explore during this article is Mental Health and burnout.
Mental health issues are very common in the world, and 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some form within England, and even then, only 1 in 6 people actually report experiencing the mental health problem. Furthermore, people do act on these mental health difficulties with 1 in 5 people having suicidal thoughts. This is why we need to open the conversation more, and realise that people who are successful, they also have mental health difficulties, yet they still succeed. These statistics were taken from Mind, please feel free to look further into these statistics here.
How can you help your mental health improve?
- Fix your sleeping pattern. You will often find that people who are struggling often have a sleeping pattern that is not their normal. If you can limit the time you spend, and the time you sleep, it should help. Will it fix everything? No, but it will allow you to have more energy during the day and it will help you to be able to complete the basic tasks that can be so difficult to do.
- Treat yourself. When was the last time you decided you were going to treat yourself? Has it been 6 months since your last takeaway? Grab a chinese. Have you wanted a new video game for weeks? Head to Amazon, place the order. Obviously, this is easier said than done, but you have to be able to spend money on yourself and treat yourself every now and then.
- Get outside. A lot of people who struggle with mental health will force themselves to stay inside which will only keep them stuck in their rut for longer. Get away from them 4 walls that you are used to, even if it is just to go and buy a pint of milk at the local shop. Getting outside will help you at least have a break.
- Ask for help. Sometimes you genuinely need some help, and you cannot do it alone and that is okay. There are so many people who won’t ask for help because they think they are a burden or that they are not helpable. You have to be willing to engage and try anything and everything to get out of the ongoing mood that you have. Now, this won’t magically fix everything but it is a step, and it is baby steps needed so don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
- Exercise. We have all seen it mentioned time and time again on the TV, in radio, on adverts and in schools, but exercise can be one of the most therapeutic things that you can do. People who exercise are bound to feel healthier, and be able to do more. There are also chemicals in the brain that are released when you exercise that can give you a good feeling. This can also be used to help things such as ADHD.
- Meditate. The average human takes in millions of pieces of information per day. This can be so overwhelming if you just keep going. Don’t be afraid to take the time and ocus on what you need to focus on, but make sure you take some time for you. It can be extremely helpful to just lay back on your bed, put on some relaxation music and meditate to yourself. There are a lot of applications available in the app store that will also help with this.
- Be creative. Express yourself. This can be done in so many ways, whether it is singing, writing, colouring, painting, making music etc. being creative is one of the most important ways of expressing yourself and getting it out of your head so that it is both important and easier to manage but also so that you can then dispose of them thoughts, or potentially use them to make people aware. Either way, it is very therapeutic and you should do what you love to do.
- Connect with people. Sometimes a friendly ear can help so much. It might not fix everything but being able to express how you are feeling and being able to confide in a friend or even just being able to distract yourself and remind yourself that you have people around you that care can help a hell of a lot.
- Eat and Drink. For a lot of people this can be a challenge and we understand that completely. The human body needs food and water to survive, and a lot of the time you can feel tired, low energy and generally having low mood due to the fact that you have not had enough to eat and your body is telling you it needs it. We know it is not easy but even getting just a bit of food inside you can help a lot.
We are not saying these tips will solve all of your problems, and if you are not able to do any of them, that is okay. If you keep going, then you are doing great. We have spoken with several members within both gaming and esports to discuss how difficult gaming as an industry can be. Remember, you are not alone with the struggles of working and grinding within esports and gaming. What do people who succeed in esports actually have to share with us then? You’ll have to come back in a few weeks for our next article where we share a certain young man’s story.
If you need any support, here is some support available:
- Samaritans — 116 123
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK — 0800 689 5652
- Papyrus — 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.
- Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service.
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- Email us — home@chronical.co.uk
