Get More Enjoyment Out of Your Favorite Games

We all want to be better gamers. Maybe you want to see yourself climbing that ranked mode ladder, or maybe you just want to get more out of an immersive experience. To improve, we'll spend countless hours diving into the details and nuances of our favorite games. Learning every tip and trick we can to get the most from them. Yet what probably has the biggest impact on our ability to perform in, and extract enjoyment from our games is the quality of life we have outside of the game.

If we want to play better, we have to live better first. From toxic co-workers to bad sleeping habits, many of the things we take for granted in our everyday lives can have a huge impact on our game time. So let's take a look at some things that we might be able to change about our lives to help us "get gud."

Address the Toxicity in Your Life

We all like to talk (complain) about all the toxic gamers polluting our favorite games. They go from game to game, destroying everything they touch. Yet what's really scary is that those same people exist in real life too, and trust me they can do a lot more damage to people's lives than they just did to your last game session. Find these toxic people, and get them out of your life as best you can.

Many of us have jobs we dislike or hate doing, but nothing is worse than a toxic workplace. It only takes one abusive co-worker or manager to turn the workplace into a mental health nightmare. If you're in a situation like this, it's time to make a change. Depending on the problem it might be solvable by simply changing your communication style. If it's a deep systemic problem, you're probably looking at finding a new team or job. There are many resources out there discussing toxic people in the workplace, and how you might address it. Do some research and make some changes. The effort will be well worth it to reduce or eliminate all the stress on your mental health.

A toxic workplace can be very damaging to you, but nothing is worse than an abusive home. If you're living with a toxic roommate, parent, or romantic partner, then it's time to make a change. Take a careful look at your living situation, and the people you live with. See if you can't make some changes to improve harmony and reduce stress. If a toxic person in your home seems incapable of change, or are too difficult to manage, then it's time to go. You can't afford the risk they pose to your mental well being to stay there. If they're a truly abusive person, please don't be afraid to ask for help getting out of there. Stay safe!

Self Care

Please eat. Your brain is one of the biggest consumers of calories in the human body, and you need a healthy brain for good gaming. Try to eat nutritious food too. You might sacrifice a bit of flavor, but a well-fed brain is going to mean you'll be solving puzzles faster and making amazing plays that surprise even you.

Drink all the water. Your body doesn't consume anything you put in it faster than water. It's constantly in need of it, and always demands more. Get a nice spill proof water bottle, and keep that thing on your desk. Start building the habit of taking a sip at every opportunity, and refilling as soon as it's empty. The additional bathroom breaks are well worth how good it's going to feel being well-hydrated.

One of the worst trends of the day is the popularity of sleeping less. People everywhere are sacrificing precious sleep to watch Netflix or play just a couple more hours of their favorite game. Not worth it. Research shows that getting less than seven hours of sleep a day has a dramatic impact on the quality of your health both in the short and long term. Getting enough sleep can lengthen your lifespan by decades, and also improve how you feel during your waking hours. If you're getting less than six hours of sleep, you're doing long lasting damage to your body and mind. Also, if you're a woman you may need more sleep than a man. So please feel free to sleep in, and get that partner of yours to make you breakfast in bed.

The body can't live without the mind. The mind cannot live without the body. If your plan for the day is to spend hours gaming, try some meditation, and a workout before hand. It only takes about 15-20 minutes for each, and the time invested is going to payoff big during your gaming session. You're going to feel much more balanced and ready to take on challenges. If you experience things like queue anxiety, then meditation and exercise are even more important.

Take a shower. Do it. You'll feel better. That's the only reason you need.

Now, go forth and crush noobs my healthy gamer!