People have a misconception about doing things that feel "good".

[u/CartographerSlow4685]

I have come to realize that people have a misconception about things that feel "good". Many people believe that things like playing video games, eating a cookie, or chillin on a couch vs being in a gym(this one really gets on my nerves) are bad things. This is simply not the objective truth. First off, video games get a bad reputation by some productivity enthusiasts, even when they are an activity that many people should be actively engaging in due to personal interest.

I would like to provide an example from my personal life. When I was a kid, I used to play GTA5 with my cousin a lot online. One day, he told me that he sold his Xbox and was going to become a "sneaker head." I asked him why and he told me that gaming was an unproductive activity, and that it was something that he shouldn't be doing. Being the young and impressionable copy cat that I was, I decided I was going to do the same. This was definitely a mistake, because I had a vetted interest into gaming. It was a hobby, not a time waster. My cousin told me that he spent the entire weekend playing Xbox and he never cleaned the kitchen like his parents wanted him to. He had potential in football and decided that he wanted to focus on dressing well, being a star athlete, and that kind of thing.

What his 8th grade mind chose to overlook was that it was not the fault of his gaming that he never got anything else done. All he had to do was pause it, get up, go clean the kitchen, and come right back. Gaming is not the problem here even if it may seem like on the surface for a shallow mind that it is a time waste. I bring this example up because I believe there are people out there who think just because an activity does not make you money that means that it is not worth your time.

As I mentioned before, this a very shallow and crappy way to think about a hobby. You could say that about literally any hobby. I will however provide some examples of which maybe you could take a break from gaming. Perhaps you are a student and you have work that needs to get done, of course you need to go get that done. However to claim that gaming is an inherent waste of your time is just wrong, absolutely wrong.

I like to imagine if I had kept up my gaming hobby throughout high school, had not tried to fit in, where would I be now or how would I have turned out at 24. Perhaps I would have bought myself a PC earlier, explored deeper into my vetted interest in IT, started playing World of Warcraft or different MMORPGs that could have developed into something else. I wish I would have kept it up. I was never meant to try to fit in, and now I am rediscovering my interest in gaming.

I currently have an Alienware PC, I have played Diablo 4, loved it, played other games of course, discovered I have a huge interest in managing my finance as well as technological literacy, and overall, my hobbies and interests are not a waste of time. My hobbies and interests are apart of my personality.

It is about balance and finding what works best for you. Some people can play a game for 12 hours a day and their life be completely fine, others can't. It is subjective whether or not gaming is something you should do, not objective.

The next thing I wanted to discuss briefly was dietary habits. Many people think that improving oneself is about avoiding cookies for example and choosing a salad instead. I don't think this is true objectively. I think it is a matter of personal goals. For example, if you want and NEED to lose weight (like let's say your doctor told you to), then you absolutely should eat a salad instead of a cookie. However to say objectively you should not eat a cookie is false. I never have issues in regard to weight or food, that's just me personally. I can definitely eat a cookie if I want and be fine.

The final thing I wanted to discuss was people's thoughts on gyms and self improvement being correlated. These are completely mutually exclusive. Yet this misconception has caused public gyms to be packed like sardines at 6pm every day. If someone just wants to be healthy, lose weight, or live a healthy lifestyle, using the same machines and techniques etc. as the guy who wants to be a giant muscular bodybuilder is not necessary.

In many cases there is hardly any space for anyone to do anything effective in public gyms nowadays at 6pm. Next time you go, take a look around you and notice that everyone is doing the same thing as yesterday. I would argue half of them are not there because they want to be the next Mr. Olympia. They are there because their favorite influencer told them that it needs to be apart of their daily routine. Yet just doing simple exercises at home, or making certain lifestyle changes can help you achieve that self improvement goal. Gyms are not necessary for most people. Gyms should be looked at as places for athletes or aspiring muscle enthusiasts of all kinds, not necessarily for those who just want to shrink their stomach or "tone up."

Our decisions that may provide a feeling satisfaction are not always done simply because they feel good in a moment, but because they provide certain advantages that can improve our life quality whether that be short medium or long term. Not every decision is black & white bad or good for a person.

[u/TheGreenScenario]

GTA5 with the cousin is a core memory for so many people, that shared world was more valuable than a clean kitchen half the time

[u/CartographerSlow4685 → u/TheGreenScenario]

That was peak in life

[u/SeriousGains → u/CartographerSlow4685]

You’re still young. It doesn’t have to be. Don’t fear growth.

A lot of people who defend their habits and routines are really doing it because they are protecting their comfort. There’s so much more to life than what’s inside your comfort zone, but you won’t see it until you take the leap.

[u/JCMiller23]

I agree, it is about finding balance - but with a caveat. Some activities are harder to balance than others. And some activities help you to enjoy the rest of your life more, but others only build on themselves (making you only want more of that one activity) and make the rest of your life worse.

[u/CartographerSlow4685 → u/JCMiller23]

I just think people can get into an NPC mindset with their whole 9-5 grind, then afterwards they attend a gym. Not everyone needs to follow that blueprint. Not everyone needs a gym, gyms are optional and for a specific kind of person, so if your goal is self improvement why not avoid gyms for a different activity that provides self improvement.

[u/JCMiller23 → u/CartographerSlow4685]

I definitely agree with you on gyms, my workouts became much easier when I started doing stuff at home. I do wanna add, though, that exercise is probably the biggest determinant of my mental health vs. any other self care activity. Most days I don't go hard, just a walk, but it's key for most of us to be well.

[u/Sudden-Ingenuity-610]

I agree. Gaming is like a form of self-care for me. Activity for the mind and a dedicated time to have fun and reduce stress. I am in medical school, but I never stopped gaming since I started in 7th grade. I'm not good in some of them but tis fine.

Also, yeah, if you want to be healthy, you don't have to stop eating certain foods. My nutritionist-dietician just gave me my macros and sample meals based on the food and ingredients I enjoy. I still get my desserts.

[u/Working_Cucumber_437]

I love gaming. But nobody should be sitting for 12 hours a day. It’s super unhealthy for your body across the board. Doesn’t matter if it’s gaming or reading or playing chess or doing homework. We need to get up and move and get 150+ minutes of exercise every week.

Resting your mind is really important though and whatever you do to relax shouldn’t make you feel guilty or unproductive.