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I can't sleep so I came back to the computer. What could possibly go wrong ? Clearly another genius idea of mine. Got dozens like it !
But since I'm here, let's do a PSA thread. Haven't done one of those yet and while in bed, I was thinking of all the things I've tried (...more or less successfully) to deal with anxiety in the past few years. Maybe one of those things will work for you, even temporarily ?
So first things first : videogames. No I'm not gonna talk about dinosaurs (...though I could if you want me to ? no ? nobody ? alright I tried).
One of the most soothing games I play is Mini Metro : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.codepoint.minimetro
One of the most soothing games I play is Mini Metro : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.codepoint.minimetro
You can play it as a phone app (Android link above, Apple Store link below), no need for a super NASA-grade computer. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mini-metro/id837860959
...but it also happens to be available on Steam ! https://store.steampowered.com/app/287980/Mini_Metro/
Basically it's about connecting dots, which represent stations on a subway line. It's very abstract and geometrical, so even if you're in theory managing underground traffic, it turns out to be very easy to get into without thinking.
Despite the possibility (...extremely likely) of failure, it's very low stakes. Also the sound design is dynamic, so all your actions in the game generate the music ; but you can turn off the music as well and use the soundtrack of your choice :)
It's slightly hypnotic without being addictive, it's extremely casual, and at the same time it creates the illusion of making you solve the "puzzle" of managing subway lines. So it's pretty much the definition of the perfect anti-anxiety casual game.
Mini Metro. Write it down.
Mini Metro. Write it down.
Also on Steam is Raft (if you watched me on Twitch in 2019, you saw me play it). It's a game where you're stranded on a... well, raft, and you get resources by grabbing anything floating in the water or by harvesting resources on islands you find. https://store.steampowered.com/app/648800/Raft/
It's not as low stakes as Mini Metro (it has a backstory, and a more complex crafting system), BUT it can be played very casually, and that's often what I do : I pick up the game, start a new save, float for an hour or two and just... collect resources.
I don't even use most of the resources (just the food -- it does have a survival aspect to it ; fair warning, there's also a shark in the water, if that's the sort of thing that scares you), I just grab them for a while. And then I leave and forget about it.
When you play it that way, Raft turns out to be very calming (provided you have no issues with being surrounded by open water, for instance, or the survival aspect of it), because it's just about looking at the horizon and focusing on throwing a hook into the water.
And then there's #ArkSurvivalEvolved, a game which-... ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. Moving on.
(^ this game has been instrumental for me in the past few years because of how much of a great timesink it can be, and because of dinosaurs, and because building centers me, but is absolutely not a soothing experience !)
Up next : Youtube channels.
Now we're on my turf, people, because I've been using Youtube A LOT, trying to find content to consume when anxious and/or during insomnia.
Now we're on my turf, people, because I've been using Youtube A LOT, trying to find content to consume when anxious and/or during insomnia.
Of course you have a plethora of TV show excerpts. I wrote a whole article about it so I won't expand on that in the thread : http://www.ladyteruki.com/2020/01/25/purpletube-an-dextraits-de-series/
One thing that's been working for me is STREET FOOD. Basically it's videos of people cooking at various food stands around the world.
What I like about it is that it's usually devoid of commentary, you just get a view of a what a cook does, you hear the cooking, and you usually -
What I like about it is that it's usually devoid of commentary, you just get a view of a what a cook does, you hear the cooking, and you usually -
- hear the humdrum of the street in the background (oftentimes in Asian cities, which are over-represented, but not exclusively). I respond very well to that feeling of distant-but-busy soundtrack, but ymmv obviously.
The search for "street food" https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=street+food will get you TONS, and I mean TONS of results, but I also simply recommend a very active channel in the genre, Travel Thirsty. https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelThirstyBlog
If that's too much for you (or you don't want to watch food, which, oh I do get it believe me), allow me to present to you : MINIATURE CRAFTS.
If you've never encountered those videos, it's basically what is written on the tin : people crafting small things.
HMS2 comes to mind, in particular because those videos have no music at all : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCseOe3MfK8d2IjK2NoEpnaA
HMS2 comes to mind, in particular because those videos have no music at all : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCseOe3MfK8d2IjK2NoEpnaA
(sorry I'm back from my sidenote)
But another channel I like is Hanabira. The crafting style is different (less plastic, more wood, for instance... also less food, more full rooms) and there's music. So see which you prefer and go for it ! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyyp7X9QBvJh6mIoQYJmUuA
But another channel I like is Hanabira. The crafting style is different (less plastic, more wood, for instance... also less food, more full rooms) and there's music. So see which you prefer and go for it ! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyyp7X9QBvJh6mIoQYJmUuA
I'm not giving too many links for each genre because obviously the more you'll watch the more recommendations you'll get. And this thread is long enough already as it is !
