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Mental Health and The Sims - How has it helped you?

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  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    edited April 2020
    @Scobre.
    Today, I listened to Heart UK, both the Heart Wiltshire and Heart London stations. It seems that music and The Sims is helping me to cope. As is ACNH.
    Awesome. Yeah music and ACNH is helping me too and audio books. I love the Libby App. I haven't been this happy about a game in awhile and so cool to have something to bond all my Twitch friends with. I am really enjoying how the game has been inspiring Sims builds and character creations too. Playing Minecraft in addition to Sims has helped too.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • SimsophoniqueSimsophonique Posts: 1,410 Member
    edited April 2020
    I am newly discovered as Asperger without mental disabilities and without High IQ, I am born this way but nobody knew this except a couple of day ago because "women are harder to detect" . The sims 2 helped me to develop a new hobby the Home Design and the sims 3 helps me to beat the boredom and to be away from my anxiety. For years I wasn't under treatment so when I played my world I was safe from my pain, no crisis, no overemotional, no cries , all the sims game calmed me down for a moment.

    Now that I am under treatment I just continue because it's my routine now ahaha. I just added the sims 4 and I play it for fun when the sims 3 is crashy to pain the town red.
    Follow and read Miss V Detective (ts3 story)
    on wordpress: thesimsophonique.wp.com / on dreamwidth: simsophonique.dreamwidth.org
    Follow me on tumblr (sims only)
    simsophonique.tumblr.com (please no triggers I am autistic asperger)
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    edited April 2020
    I didn't think I would ever reply on this thread. Well, just because of privacy and all that. However, during this pandemic it's good and bad I have all my old games to turn to for whatever reasons. We are locked down 'til June. I'm high risk so staying at home is not new to me, however, this seems like eternity. It's not that I'm not staying involved and or not praying for those who are sick or turning to faith to get me through this, but I'm glad I have all my old files to structure, clean out, rework and rebuild and or redo things I wanted to do for a very long time. Bascially these game and their files and abiltiy to create cc or use these games as a creative outlet helps take away some major stress. Glad I have them when I start feeling stressed out to the point I have to turn off the news and stop worrying about if someone I know gets sick and or if I would. It's a stress reliever and always has been. People might think people bury themselevs in games, I don't see it that way, I see it as letting my mind rest from the stress and worry. When I was younger when I was stressed I did busy work, such as a lot of things that needed to be done. However, I no longer physically able to do 'busy' work so this is my way of busy work, to releive my stress and has for years helped me not think about my limitations or remain frustrated with my physical limitations. Now, it's a lot of busy work I'm doing in my files and things to keep and ditch and clean out etc. My pc probably is glad it is getting cleaned out and my games are probably glad I'm cleaning them up.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • MsKatieRoseMsKatieRose Posts: 672 Member
    As long as you limit yourself. Otherwise, I think you could get addicted and slip from reality. Especially, if you start to think your Sims are living a better life than, yourself. I know I personally typically play ( or mostly) build in Sims World during the cold season and I know I won't be going out as much. Also, as alternative to just watching a movie or sketching, I guess. I just hope most Simmers are not playing in order to evade their real life issues that may need to deal with.
    Always be your unapologetically and authentic self
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    I play The Sims games because they're fun and plus they genuinely relieve my stress (from work). So yeah, I think they're great for anyone's mental health!

    The only bad thing about it for me is that time flies whenever I play it. There are times when I forget some responsibilities that needs to be done or get careless with other tasks. One time, I made rice in a rice cooker....when I got back to it after it finished cooking, I discovered that I forgot to put the lid on it because I was hurrying to get to my TS3 session, lol! All the water evaporated and the rice was still hard! :D

  • netney52netney52 Posts: 1,214 Member
    To be honest it’s been interesting reading these posts. I come at this from a different angle. I work in mental health with many different mental health illnesses so I use sims as a way to escape and de-stress from my job it’s my only effective outlet that I find helps.
  • lauravonawesomelauravonawesome Posts: 2,905 Member
    I am autistic, also a lifetime Simmer. As to why:

    1) I have bad anxiety and, unlike in real life, I can control every little detail of the world around me.

    2) socializing in The Sims is predictable and makes sense.

    3) infinite do-overs. Mess up a social interaction or life decision? No big deal, just undo it!
    I own the store, as of 12/16/17!| Thank you | Friends?| DD Rotation & Sales Help

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  • Nikkei_SimmerNikkei_Simmer Posts: 9,403 Member
    edited April 2020
    I’m OK.
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    ...really.

    (diagnosed with Social Anxiety disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2004; Severe Pneumonia thar nearly killed me in 2016 didn’t help either nor did the diagnosis in 2019 of deteriorating disc disease that took me completely out of the workforce.)

    I use humor and the Sims to cope.
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    Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
  • DaKaptenDaKapten Posts: 385 Member
    The sims helped me alot with trauma when I was a kid, and it still helps alot. To get away from the harsh reality and just focus on something else. The sims has helped me to cope with my worries and also made me happy even tough i feel very stressed out.
    I have clients/patients that also use the sims to cope with their depsression and anxeity and it makes me so happy to hear that it's helping them trough stressful times. Like the situation we are in now. And I feel I can relate to them so much.
    I am also on the spectrum and diagnosed with ADHD as a child and it makes me so touched to see so many feel the same as I do. It fills that empty void with friendship and happiness.
  • SimsophoniqueSimsophonique Posts: 1,410 Member
    I am autistic, also a lifetime Simmer. As to why:

    1) I have bad anxiety and, unlike in real life, I can control every little detail of the world around me.

    2) socializing in The Sims is predictable and makes sense.

    3) infinite do-overs. Mess up a social interaction or life decision? No big deal, just undo it!

    I am austistic too and I do not really make my simself social except when she has to do. :/
    Follow and read Miss V Detective (ts3 story)
    on wordpress: thesimsophonique.wp.com / on dreamwidth: simsophonique.dreamwidth.org
    Follow me on tumblr (sims only)
    simsophonique.tumblr.com (please no triggers I am autistic asperger)
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    The Sims doesnt impact my mental health for better or worse. It just a fun game. I do feel quite peaceful after playing animal crossing, however
    The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5

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    Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
  • DeadManHBKDeadManHBK Posts: 117 Member
    As a lot of others have said, The Sims is an escape for me. In the real world, there are a number of things I have no control over, which tends to trigger my anxiety, and with The Sims I can have control over almost everything. I can make things exactly how I want them, and can keep things perfect. Plus, it can help me live out things I daydream about. It's just a nice distraction - has been since I was a teenager. <3
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    A n a l Na t h r a c h D o c h e'l D e'n m h a
    A n a l Na t h r a c h T i e r a N a t r a c h...
  • Lucy_HenleyLucy_Henley Posts: 2,942 Member
    Oooooh @ChuChuExpress you’re from the U.K.! *waves*

    I have ASD, inattentive ADHD and social anxiety disorder too. I’m kind of lucky in that my childhood wasn’t traumatic in any way, there was no real bullying or anything, and I had a good home life. I find socialising difficult, and like others have said things are a lot easier with The Sims. It’s much easier getting a job in Sims 2/3/4 than it is IRL, too.

    I’ve also been fascinated by large families (I wouldn’t have one myself, though) so I enjoy playing big families/getting my Sims to have twins/triplets etc. I tend to never play with premades, I prefer creating a couple in CAS and guiding them through their lives. I’m much more of a “actually play the game” type player as opposed to someone who can spend hours in CAS and/or who spends hours building their perfect house. I’ve never made a Sim version of me, I wouldn’t know what traits to choose for a start! I often create redheaded Sims... and sometimes I find the male redhead Sim really cute... *cough*
  • EliteGirlEliteGirl Posts: 537 Member
    edited June 2020
    I also have high functioning autism, OCD, anxiety disorder as well as depression. You're not the only one who's disabled. I also have a good home life. I'm surprised I am not the only player of "The Sims" series with high functioning autism. I thought I'd be the only player on the autism spectrum, really.
  • daisy1989daisy1989 Posts: 87 Member
    I've always been a Sims player but I really started getting in to it again during this COVID-19 pandemic. It provides me with a safe space to play and be creative when it feels like the world is spinning out of control
    Lately I've been feeling very anxious and worried so I've been enjoying having somewhere to escape from reality.
    I'm really happy that so many of you have found enjoyment from The Sims. It's amazing what video games can do 💕
    Check out my YouTube channel @ DaisySims
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    At first, I use sims for destress and escapism, diving into an Utopian world where the rules are clear and mold-able to my liking.

    Now I've started storytelling with sims and I find it immensely cathartic. I work with people from a variety of backgrounds, some good, some in pretty bad/horrible situations. I'm not a counselor, and I feel grateful and privileged to be shared with of these experiences. Sometimes the pain is too great for me to absorb, and I am affected mentally (vicarous trauma). So I weave them into the characters I create to release their pain, and put my own fairytale spin and happy ending. Sims is a healthy outlet of whatever I make it out to be, whether I feel the need to escape today, or make my characters (aka me) face the skeletons in their closet tomorrow.
  • WhatCobblersWhatCobblers Posts: 2,748 Member
    @netney52 and @mercuryfoam, hello, it's great to meet fellow carers! I also play on Sims as a way of de-stressing and taking my mind off work.
    I work as part of my sister's care team and whilst I love her to bits, I find myself feeling quite low at times when I see her and our parents go through difficult times, especially if there's nothing I can do to help the situation.
    I used to work in residential care in the past but had to stop because some of the things I witnessed and learnt about my clients affected me too much (I feel bad about saying that because I wasn't even the one who went through those horrendous situations). I completely understand about things being too painful to absorb. The truth is I find quite a few things in real life too distressing to process sometimes and so need to escape at times.
    This is why in Sims I prefer things as unrealistic as possible. I also find humour a great therapeutic tool.
  • LectersLecters Posts: 19 Member
    I personally feel like Sims help me to manage my anxiety and also gives me the tools I need to get a general idea of how I'm going to do something that I've been putting off. It's like, seeing it happen staged in-game helps me to better deal with it irl.
    Check out my gallery! https://vipercide.com/gallery

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  • ChuChuExpressChuChuExpress Posts: 3,228 Member
    @Lucy_Henley.
    *waves back*
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    Sims 4 Family: Benjamin, Shine, Princess Roddy, Sophia and Hamish Furystrykar and Shelly Heart. Princess Roddy is my avatar, and he's a boy!
    Let those smiles spread!
  • ZazzyKittynZazzyKittyn Posts: 367 Member
    I have maniac chronic depression PTSD bipolar and a few other handicaps I use the Sims as a way to get away from RL when dealing with drs therapists and other people who don't understand me and when tell them the pills are not working all they do is up the dosage or change instead trying to discover why they are not working
  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    I feel like the Sims games have helped me cope during this pandemic and look at the bigger picture. Like the worst disaster of Will Wright losing his home really resonates with the games of overcoming challenges and looking for a solution using multiple pathways. I am able to work now during it and help people get their unemployment checks. It has helped me realize how important inclusivity is too with the Sims games with the BLM movement and continue to come up with ideas for the Sims 4. I'm able to not only support myself, but my parents too and my mom has always had hearing problems, so buying her hearing aids for her 40th anniversary this year. I like how the Sims has helped shaped me into the person I am today and I really like how I am turning out during my adult years. It has helped me realize that perfection is boring and that being differently abled just means I have to take different paths in life, but doesn't mean that I can't get there and have an adventure along the way.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • KathykinsKathykins Posts: 1,881 Member
    I've been struggling with anxiety and depression, varying degrees of chronic pain (muscle and joints), diabetes and thyroid illness (which led to an eye condition with double/fuzzy vision and swelling). I've been fighting the powers that be, along with my doctor, almost 15 years. I was to be tried in "every" job possible, to find out what kind of work I could do. Endless testing and trying. It was very stressful and exhausting. Ended up on disability last year. Didn't want to, but found I had no choice.

    I'd say gaming in general has been helpful, not only the Sims, although TS is a big part of it. TS can, more than other games really, allow me to relax and control the environment around my sims. They can do things I can't, or never got to do. Its also a bit of a creative outlet for me, with building and creating stuff for the game, mainly for TS1+4.
  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    Kathykins wrote: »
    I've been struggling with anxiety and depression, varying degrees of chronic pain (muscle and joints), diabetes and thyroid illness (which led to an eye condition with double/fuzzy vision and swelling). I've been fighting the powers that be, along with my doctor, almost 15 years. I was to be tried in "every" job possible, to find out what kind of work I could do. Endless testing and trying. It was very stressful and exhausting. Ended up on disability last year. Didn't want to, but found I had no choice.

    I'd say gaming in general has been helpful, not only the Sims, although TS is a big part of it. TS can, more than other games really, allow me to relax and control the environment around my sims. They can do things I can't, or never got to do. Its also a bit of a creative outlet for me, with building and creating stuff for the game, mainly for TS1+4.
    That must be exhausting. I am glad you are getting financial help. Getting on disability isn't an easy feat in itself either. I've tried and got denied, so work was my only option. You could try streaming for your gaming hobby. Pay isn't much especially at first, but I heard it helps a lot with anxiety. There is an app to help people with visual conditions. https://www.inc.com/joseph-steinberg/this-new-app-lets-blind-people-livestream.html I am following this teenage girl who is deaf and streams Fornite and she got nominated for an award show. I just recommend getting a few trusted people to mod for you to keep chat safe. I like to build too and build streams are very popular.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • ValeahValeah Posts: 98 Member
    Scobre wrote: »
    I haven't said it on these forums before. I have fibromyalgia, chronic backpain, muscle spasms, osteoarthritis, depression/society anxiety, and torn ligaments in both ankles. I bought the Sims Deluxe after watching a TV trailer and been a Sims Tower and SimCity 2000 player. I had a fall down the stairs hitting my back and neck and ankle turned in on 10 steps doing laundry at my old house. I went to the hospital they did nothing but send me home with an ice pack and an ace bandage. A week later I had spasms for 8 hours non-stop so I had to be home schooled and drop out of band. I had epilepsy as a kid too, so just playing video games now is a blessing. So being housebound mostly for five years as I felt my world closing especially since I was a really sporty girl growing up, Sims not only helped me move on from Barbies and continue my stories from that but helped me travel beyond my own bedroom walls. I couldn't control my muscles, but I could with the Sims. So from the moment the first firework set off in a Sims house, I was a Sims pyro deviant for life. It really helped my chronic pain and Sims 2 University helped inspire me to attend college and university. I almost dropped out of university, but Sims taught me from the origin story despite a house fire, something beautiful can be made from the ashes. It taught me never to give up hope and even if I experience some set backs with my mental health, Sims was always there like a loyal friend never giving up on me even though people would sometimes.

    When I joined Sims forums I honestly didn't think I would outlive a month. I was told by doctors that I would likely die with my gallbladder removal surgery. So I figured, well I have a month, might as well suggest toddlers so if I were to go, at least I would leave a legacy for future Simmers to enjoy. Five years later I am still here and thankfully survived to see the day toddlers come out, which was one of the happiest days I got to experience since joining forums. I met some pretty amazing people along the way even though last year was tough mentally losing three Simmers I met along my journey. I just take it one day at a time and even with my sleepless nights what helped me get through it was Sims at times, books, and old movies. I haven't been able to run since my accident but being able to run with my Self-Sim at least made me want to cry happy tears especially when first person view came out with the Sims 4. I still can dance and do some sports, just have had to learn to do things differently than before. I joined a gym with a pool and able to run in the water at least.

    There was a story called the Spoon Theory which I think has been taken down that helped explain what having an invisible disability is like, but I found this article that summarizes the story in a visual:
    https://countingmyspoons.com/2016/08/5811/

    I actually had to get this patch for my service dog Buttercup because I was tired of people bugging me when I use her for daily tasks. I made her in the Sims 4 too.
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    I get it. I have fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and an ever growing list of health problems. It seems like every time I go to the doctor, there's a new problem. And I understand how some people get about invisible disabilities; I wish there was more done to promote conditions that have an impact on every factor of your life - for the rest of your life.
    Any thing that takes you away from the everyday stress of you life, and lets your mind wander to new worlds, new possibilities, is a good thing.
    The Sims, and Dragon Age, were my go to's after my mother died in 2014. They gave me something else to focus on while grieving.
  • adduapinaadduapina Posts: 556 Member
    @Valeah We have similarly good taste in games, I see. TS and DA FTW! :>

    The Sims is as a whole an unique way of escapism and I love it. When overwhelmed or stressed/depressed I find the much needed clarity and order in the game. Thw most important thing really is that it is not competitive in any way. I am not playing against anyone or trying to win anything. It's purely for entertainment and relaxation and most of all creation.

    Stay safe y'all and take care of yourselves ♡

    origin ID: adduapina
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