u/Tight-Elderberry2487

Lately i've noticed that video games seem to be one of the only things that consistently make me feel joy. when i'm playing, i feel engaged, interested, and excited. but when i'm not playing, everything else feels dull in comparison.

part of me enjoys gaming and doesn't see anything wrong with it, but another part of me hates feeling like my happiness depends on it. i wish i could get the same sense of enjoyment from other activities, but they rarely hold my attention for long.

does anyone else feel this way? have you ever felt like one hobby became your main source of joy? if so, did you find ways to enjoy other things again, or did you just learn to accept it?

i'm curious to hear other people's experiences.

Title and thanks, not twice okay, 3 or more

im gonna switch to an office job soon, and the thought of having less dota per day is kinda weird lol.

Ive read a lot about contentment and acceptance. People often say happiness comes from appreciating what you already have instead of always chasing more. The problem is that no matter how much i try to adopt that mindset, the feeling never really arrives...

I can tell myself to be grateful. I can remind myself that things could be worse. Logically, I understand the idea of contentment. Emotionally tho it feels out of reach.

Has anyone else experienced this? Were you eventually able to feel content, or did you discover that something else was missing?

Im exactly 30 yo this year

I'd tell them that happiness isn't feeling good all the time. Life will have good days and bad days, and that's normal~

As you grow up, you'll realize that happiness is often less about getting what you want and more about appreciating what you already have.

Your turn guyss

I think many anxious people (including me) chase happiness when what they actually want is relief.

When you're anxious, happiness sounds like the goal. You think, "If I can just be happy, everything will be okay." But the moment your worries disappear, your problem is solved, or the thing you feared doesn't happen, the feeling that follows isn't happiness, it's freaking relief!

And honestly, relief can feel even better than happiness.

Happiness is usually a bonus on top of an already okay situation. Relief is the sudden removal of stress, fear, uncertainty, or emotional pain. It's the difference between carrying a heavy weight all day and finally putting it down...

Looking back, many of the moments i thought i wanted happiness were actually moments where i wanted relief from anxiety. Once the anxiety was gone, i didn't need to be ecstatic. Feeling calm, safe, and free from worry was enough.

Does anyone else feel that anxious people often mistake the desire for relief as a desire for happiness? And that relief can sometimes be the more powerful emotion?

men over 40 who have overcome your biggest fear and anxiety, how did you do it?

what was your biggest fear or source of anxiety?

what finally helped you overcome it or manage it?

was there a specific moment, habit, mindset shift, therapy, medication, or life experience that made the difference?

how long did it take, and what advice would you give to someone still struggling with fear and anxiety today?

Thanks, and sorry the rapid questions

if every video game in the world disappeared except snes games, what would you play today?

i think i’d still be fine honestly. chrono trigger, super metroid, ff6, earthbound, donkey kong country, castlevania, harvest moon. a lot of those games still have atmosphere and charm modern games can’t fully replace.

what game would become your main game?

Title and thanks

In theory this hero will feel slow, and wont give much impact, but for some reasons the impact at laning stage is very strong, thanks to his tree phasing movement ability and the invis, easy to reach any enemy and surprise auto attack or his root 2nd skill

It doesnt matter what gold you have as a treant, you will be always impactful.

Also this hero somehow can make a teammates survived at clutch moment, is it the roots? The heal from 2nd skill? Or just a small healing from his third skill? Just dont think about it, just use anything to save a teammates.

At the late game, even with minimum items you will feel very tanky, tankier than undying in my experience.

Also the ults, damn hard counter to many auto attack enemy. Better than blackhole from my experience, also doing decent damages.

Even when you lose the game, again for some reasons, you wont feel like its a big deal.

This hero is equivalent to smoking, you dont really care how your mood feels after you wake up, whether its good or bad, because you enjoyed the experience.

I think if there is a monk who play dota, the monk will main treant.

sometimes i keep thinking about how adhd is not something that just disappears one day. it feels weird knowing this brain will probably stay like this for life. some days i can accept it, but other days i feel frustrated, tired, or even scared about the future.

i read a lot of advice about managing symptoms, building routines, and improving habits, but mentally accepting it is the hardest part for me. especially when i compare myself to people who seem to function normally without constantly fighting their own brain.

for people who have reached some level of peace with it, how did you do it? what mindset helped you stop fighting reality all the time?

i spent so much time reading self help advice, productivity tips, mental health discussions, motivation tricks, dopamine stuff, and all kinds of explanations about why i felt terrible or couldn’t function properly.

i thought maybe i was lazy, burned out, unmotivated, emotionally exhausted, overstimulated, understimulated, or mentally broken in some way.

then today i ate a lot and suddenly felt normal again.

turns out my brain wasn’t asking for some deep philosophical solution. it just wanted calories.

it’s honestly funny how sometimes we overcomplicate our own problems. not saying every issue is solved by food obviously, but being low on energy can make literally everything feel worse. emotions, motivation, focus, patience, even hope.

sometimes “i hate my life” is actually just “i need to eat.” lol

i spent so much time reading self help advice, productivity tips, mental health discussions, motivation tricks, dopamine stuff, and all kinds of explanations about why i felt terrible or couldn’t function properly.

i thought maybe i was lazy, burned out, unmotivated, emotionally exhausted, overstimulated, understimulated, or mentally broken in some way.

then today i ate a lot and suddenly felt normal again.

turns out my brain wasn’t asking for some deep philosophical solution. it just wanted calories.

it’s honestly funny how sometimes we overcomplicate our own problems. not saying every issue is solved by food obviously, but being low on energy can make literally everything feel worse. emotions, motivation, focus, patience, even hope.

sometimes “i hate my life” is actually just “i need to eat" lol

Like above ps3 era maybe

i’ve noticed something interesting about my motivation and i’m wondering if others experience the same thing

whenever i focus on what i want, like goals, dreams, or ideal outcomes, i don’t feel that driven. it sounds nice in theory, but it doesn’t really push me to act. it feels distant, almost optional

but when i flip the mindset to what i don’t want, everything changes. instead of thinking i want to be successful, i think i don’t want to be broke or stuck. instead of i want to be healthy, it becomes i don’t want to feel weak or out of control. that shift creates a kind of urgency that actually makes me move

it feels like avoiding a negative outcome is more powerful than chasing a positive one. the discomfort or fear feels more real than the reward, so my brain reacts faster and stronger

i’m guessing this has something to do with how humans are wired to respond more to threats than rewards, but i don’t fully understand it

has anyone else noticed this? does focusing on what you don’t want work better for you, and do you think it’s sustainable long term or does it lead to burnout eventually

i noticed i get more motivated when i focus on what i dont want instead of what i want

thinking about goals and rewards makes me feel passive, but thinking about failure regret or wasting time gives me urgency and pushes me to act

is there a psychological reason for this and is it safe to rely on long term?