Gaming can be an intense experience, and games like Rainbow 6: Siege are a perfect example. After a long season, you might need to reset your gaming mind to get to work, deal with family life, or even jump back into another match! Whatever you need it for, a quick refresh can work wonders for your gaming life and help you enjoy the experience more. So what can you do? From reducing eye strain to looking after your pets, here are some handy suggestions.
Get Yourself Outside Into the 3D World
So you’ve conquered many 3D environments across multiple worlds. From Strategic Homeland Division activation to commanding the Jackdaw during the Golden Age of Piracy as an Assassin, 3D worlds are in your DNA. But we’re actually talking about the real world now! Even if it’s for 15 minutes, some fresh air in the yard, even mucking around with a battery leaf blower, is enough to ground you once more, remove some stress, and clear up that building mental fog.
Reset Your Gaming Mind with Reduced Eye Strain
If you find yourself looking like a Looney Tunes character after hours of exfiltration in the latest looter shooter, your eyes need some TLC. During a long session, you can experience eye strain that includes twitching, itching, and blurred vision, so step away and take care of your peepers:
- Every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for around 20 seconds.
- Get up from your space and read a book or magazine to reset your focus.
- Invest in a nifty eye massager to de-stress your vision and your temples.
Do Some Light Exercise
As you probably already know, a long session of gaming can leave you looking and feeling like one Mr. Montgomery Burns! But you may not know that you can beat gamer cramps, sore muscles, and cracking necks with some light exercise, and you don’t even have to spend any money. Every few hours, take a few minutes to stretch your legs, literally. Try some shoulder and neck rolls too, and don’t forget to massage your butt! Yeah, that can get pretty sore!
Switch on Headspace and Meditate
There can be a lot going on in a title like Rainbow 6: Siege, and any other team-based shooter. From Halo to Marathon, there’s often too much to deal with, and losing matches can send you into a flying rage like Jack at the end of The Shining. However, if you have Headspace or a similar app (even YouTube can help), switch to a guided meditation session and take a few minutes to calm your mind. You might even find that this enhances your game when you return.
Take a Shower to Reset Your Gaming Mind
Game-related stress is a real thing, which is ironic since they are supposed to be entertaining, fun, and relaxing. But you can take it too seriously when invested in a new title, and a UK survey found that 32% of gamers experience game-related anxiety. However, a quick shower can help.
A quick sensory reset
Intense gaming can induce a sense of panic as cortisol builds up in your system. However, warm water combats this by inducing relaxation, and your senses will calm down as a result.
Refreshing the brain
Mental fatigue is a very real result of over-gaming, as your mind tries to keep up with everything that has been happening. The noise and warmth of a shower can help smooth the mental edge.
The benefits of cold and heat
You would think that sitting still is relaxing, but it can do more harm to your body than exercise. Muscles can strain when not used, and heat and cold can help relieve soreness and stiffness.
Taking a shower can act like a quick reset button for smarter and peaceful living, which comes in handy throughout a prolonged gaming session. It helps by interrupting the over-analyzation of a game world, reduces mental tunnel vision, and induces a much-needed state of relaxation.
Grab a Journal and Dump Your Brain
When you’re getting through a session, there can be a lot to deal with. Completing loose-end quests, forming new strategies, and trying to beat Oggdo Bogdo on Grandmaster difficulty can cause a complete meltdown. If meditation isn’t really your thing (and it can be hard for some people), perhaps journaling can help. Some people find it useful to just dump their thoughts with the power of the written word into a notepad. Or you can troll the forums on Reddit!
Make Sure You Take Time to Hydrate
A great man tracking an alien Predator once said: “I ain’t got time to bleed”! Well, as a gamer, you may not have time to eat or drink. However, it is vital that you do, as staying hydrated not only keeps you healthy but also enhances your focus. In fact, a recent study found that carbonated water is the most effective beverage for gaming. So ditch those terrible “energy” drinks and keep your body fueled with the only thing it really needs to stay sharp and well.
Reset Your Gaming Mind with Cuddles and Treats
It is common for gamers to use games to combat stress, with around 81% doing so. But games themselves can be the cause, especially when engaging in competitive play. But there is a cute and furry solution waiting to melt all your cares away, and it costs nothing to cuddle a pet:
- Cuddling and stroking a furry pet like a cat, dog, or bunny releases calming oxytocin.
- Playing and interacting with a pet also helps lower blood pressure and cortisol.
- Pets require care and attention, which can help break up your gaming sessions.
Keep Your Gaming Space Tidy
It’s actually much less fun to play a session in an untidy and unsanitary space. Your mind, even if you don’t realize it, will be pressured by the need to keep your gaming area clean to enjoy your play time in a healthy way. Piled up dishes, overflowing laundry, and so many empty drink cans you could retire on the trade-in cash are common signs you aren’t taking care of your space. So get up and tidy the place every now and then for subconscious peace of mind.
Summary
Stepping away from the desk and into the real outside world for a while will help reset your gaming mind for focus and reduced anxiety. The noise, warmth, and even cold of a shower can also help reset your mind, and it always helps to keep your gaming space clean and tidy.
