Anxiety & Exploration: 5 Self-Care Tips for Gamers

There are nights where sleep becomes impossible and I usually end up giving up on sleeping altogether. I can feel my heart skipping and I become restless, shifting around until I can’t take it any longer and get out of bed. My anxiety is mild compared to some people I know, but I still wear my unease like a second skin—my worries crawling underneath in an attempt to get out. If I don’t do something about it, there’s a high chance that the unease will escalate to full-blown fear or panic.

I’m not alone in suffering from anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 18.1% of Americans and an estimated 12% of Canadians will suffer from an anxiety disorder within their lifetime. The treatments for anxiety vary, but the most common one for self-care that I’ve run into is distraction. Listen to music, watch something familiar, and/or shift…