Last night, I laid on the bed, thinking about the game I just bought. The titled is called Pro Evolution Soccer 2017.
The thought of making a wrongful purchase flooded my mind repeatedly. Buyer’s remorse sets in. It’s the feeling of regret one gets after buying an expensive item. I tossed around, knowing that wasting money is one thing, but trying to justify the purchase by investing more time and effort into it will just compound the remorse.
It’s part impulse purchase (a healthy discount over the retail price) and partly because I want to wind down after a long day of work. The problem is, I found myself tensed, stressed and anxious. I felt tensed become of the adrenaline rush from playing. Even after the game has ended, it will often keep me alert for several hours afterwards. I felt stressed and anxious because I spent more time than I allocated for. After the whirlwind of games, I asked myself why have I neglected doing activities that truly makes me relax.
That is the story of my life with games.
To counter this, I’ve set aside a maximum of 45 minutes daily for games. Restraint is always the hardest, especially when the novelty of a new game hasn’t wear off. Still, it’s vital to instil the discipline to do the “real” routines that feels relaxing and peps me for bed. Routines like reading, writing, sketching and talking to my wife – these are what makes me feel fulfilled. I find that if I game all the way just before bedtime, I tend to have extremely troubled sleep. The following day would be a horrible one to endure.
With everything in life, moderation is key. Just like a glass of red wine nightly boosts health benefits, a game (or two) after work can take my mind off the mundane chore.
Let’s hope when I do get a good night’s sleep, I will quietly mumble ‘goooal’ in my dream.