If you are a Gamer, then you are one of over 2 billion people worldwide.
Whilst much is made of the negative effects of gaming, there is growing evidence to suggest that regular Gaming can produce many positive effects on the brain by increasing its flexibility and so helping with many of its functions.
A competitive Gamer is someone who takes their game very seriously and strives to be the very best through practice and sheer determination.
They will usually dedicate much of their time to the task of being the best and they have to be performing well and to their expectations in order to achieve their enjoyment from the game. In fact with such dedication to the task, there are a number of reasons why as many as 88% of Gamers report suffering from a deflated mood while competing.
Indeed a disappointing performance can lead to feeling down and dejected but the problem reaches deeper than that. Gamers have reported the following reasons for a deflated mood while gaming.
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Much is made of the nutrition required, say for a competing athlete but less is understood about the needs and requirements for those involved in e-sports.
Gamers can expend a massive amount of mental and emotional energy when playing their sport, especially those playing competitively.
They need to be super focused, driven, alert and have their stress levels under control. Unless you have an amazingly healthy diet packed full of organic fruit and vegetables, wild fish and grass fed meats, you are more than likely going to be lacking in some of the nutrients that work to keep a positive mood.
If we consider our busy lifestyles, our processed food intake for convenience and perhaps our use of fizzy drinks which can, in themselves, deplete our bodies of nutrition, it is no small wonder why we could easily be short of the necessary nutrition.
Researchers have identified at least 10 nutrients which impact directly on mood, that’s not including the nutrients which impact indirectly. When you are expending more energy than your body has in its resources, one aspect to become quickly affected is our mood along with our energy in general.
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It is difficult enough to have a diet which provides all of the nutrition for everyday living, never mind the extra that is required for a competitive or regular sporting activity.
Good quality supplementation is recommended to ‘plug the gaps’. Any supplements should address all parts of the body, as everything is connected.
Did you know, for example, that serotonin, which is a mood regulator is stored mainly in our digestive tract, so an unhealthy gut can contribute to a poor mental state.
To make every chemical or repair every cell, we need an astonishing amount of good quality nutrients, correctly balanced. Here at God Gamer, we have worked with our Nutritional Therapist to address all of the key nutrients needed to support all of the body, understanding of course that what happens in one area will impact on another.
As Gamers ourselves, we understand the need for sustainable benefits which is why we do not go for quick fixes and have focused on natural ingredients, which avoid caffeine, to support and work with our bodies. You can check out our flagship product, Mind Hack, below:
If you are not managing somewhere between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, you could be leaving yourself open to physical, psychological and emotional issues.
If you are a Gamer who has a job as well, this can be difficult to achieve. If you are gaming late into the night, it can be difficult to fall asleep as you prepare, in your head, a critical assessment of your evening’s gaming strategy!
Sleep and mood are very closely connected. If we are in the habit of sleeping well and we have one poor night’s sleep, we are very aware of the change the next day, we feel tired, irritable and often anxious but as we go on living with only a few hours sleep each night, our bodies adapt in the best way that they can but cannot overcome a lack of sleep.
When we sleep, our bodies have the opportunity to regenerate, repair and prepare for the next wakeful period.
Without enough sleep, our switch is always at the ‘on’ position and the more we feel irritable and low in mood, the harder it is to fall asleep and so begins a vicious circle. Regular sensible routines can help our bodies adjust to preparing for a more restful and productive sleep.
It really is human nature to look forward to a task or event that we are continuing to have success with but much more difficult to remain positive when the task has brought previous failures or difficulties.
Gamers report that when their experience has been less than positive, they approach their next game with an already low mood and lack of confidence and so begins a cycle.
There is a very good chance that you will perform badly when you have already planted that seed of thought in your own mind. It is about being aware of that and moving your focus on to more positive and productive thoughts.
A lot of us cannot help but overthink, it is a really common problem.
Planning for all of the possibilities that may or may not happen and thinking of the ways in which scenarios that may or may not happen can be prevented.
Irrational thoughts play a part there too as scenarios and events can be created in our mind which have never happened and are not likely to ever happen. This type of thinking can carry forward into the game itself when, instead of allowing situations to develop and flow, the opposite happens and your brain can become analytical and over wrought which can in fact sabotage your performance, leading to complete frustration and dejection.
Different people will use different strategies to overcome this but mindfulness is the key, meditation, music etc have been reported to help.
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The activities and the ups and downs of our everyday lives can lead to us feeling stressed and anxious and this can be transferred across into our game.
As we Game, we need to have plenty of internal resources and if we are already in a stressed state, we are already short of what will be needed and so as we try to push ourselves, our bodies do their best to compensate but often cannot manage.
Try, if you can, to address the stressors rather than procrastinate. Start on a Sunday (or any day really), pick 20 tasks for the week ahead, divide them into 2 bundles, easy and difficult.
Each day you must pick 2 difficult and 1 easy task and complete them as far as possible. It’s a great way to quickly feel you are tackling your problems!
In the world of competitive Gaming, it is the case that the player with the strongest of minds will win the day.
Mental health issues such as low mood, anxiety and depression are often reported and are in fact are quite commonplace.
The best players are not only skilled in their use of the mouse or in their ability to react to circumstances but the very best have the steely determination which they hold game after game without waver! Again, if you're looking for a real natural supplement to increase a deflated mood while playing video games, then check out Mind Hack below: