A Balanced Lifestyle Helps Kids: Tips, Insights, Tools From a Counselor Who Games
In addition to finding mastery in other things, consistently meditating, exercising, and getting enough sleep will positively impact your kids in every aspect of their lives.
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There was a time in my life that video games caused real problems. I was distracted with my work, relationships, and personal health with the interest of certain video games. Through a lot of personal work, training, and time I’ve found a balanced, healthy relationship with gaming. I’ve also created a counseling practice devoted to helping people find balance with video games and screen use.
I’ve completed the training courses from the Digital Wellness Institute, INTENTA’s Gaming Disorder Certification course, and Geek Therapeutic’s Gaming Disorder’s Specialist course. I’ve worked with clients for the past five years helping them find what a healthy relationship with gaming looks like for them.
From my trainings, work with clients, and personal journey, I’ve learned a few things to not only experience a healthy, balanced relationship with gaming, but a lifestyle that helps improve gameplay. Here are different areas of life to help create balance, and when these areas are in a healthy place, gaming performance can improve.
Experience Mastery in Other Things, Like School
Many times, I see teens who struggle academically. They do not feel confident in their ability to learn and master new material and turn to other activities to fill the void of mastery. However, I’ve found when teens get tutoring, improve study habits, address ADHD symptoms, address negative self-talk, improve positive self-talk, and put in the time and work to improve academics, they feel better about themselves. When their self-esteem improves, they learn they can work through hard things and succeed. They won’t get as frustrated when they face an obstacle.
This directly applies to gaming. When someone has a positive self-esteem and are confident in their ability to work through challenges, they will be able to face a difficult boss in a video game, fail, and keep trying rather than become irate and break their keyboard. They will have a growth mindset, thinking they can always improve rather than constantly fail.
Because school is such a big part in kid’s lives, it’s important for them to feel competent in that realm. That mastery and competency in school can also help them find mastery in their gameplay.
Meditate
Meditation is one of the best ways to improve brain function. Research shows meditation improves attention and memory, increases self-compassion, and decreases blood pressure. Meditation is proven to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and improve mental clarity. As a mental health counselor, I’ve seen how meditation helps my clients and myself.
When kids experience mental clarity and their brains are working optimally, their gameplay can also improve. They can solve complex problems more efficiently. With reduced stress they can enjoy their gaming experience more. They can more easily forgive their own mistakes and have self-compassion. Encourage your teen to meditate for 5-10 minutes daily for two weeks and see if they notice the benefits.
Exercise
Working out at least 30 minutes per day does wonders for our kid’s bodies and minds. When we exercise, dopamine and endorphins are released which feels good. Our mood and energy levels improve and stress reduces. Working hard physically and breaking a sweat is difficult, but is beneficial mentally and physically.
The benefits of exercise impact gaming in several ways. After working out and being in a good mood, we are more likely to have a positive mindset when teens game. Improved energy levels can improve focus and attention while gaming. Exercise helps clear our head to help make faster decisions in game. A healthy body impacts a healthy mind, which impacts mental performances, like gaming.
Get Enough Sleep
One of the best things out kids can do is get a full night’s sleep. Professor John J. Medina, Ph.D. is the author of the course called Your Best Brain: The Science of Brain Improvement where he outlines how to improve brain function. One of the main points he talks about is the benefits sleep has on the brain. Consistently getting enough sleep directly impacts alertness, processing speed, memory, learning, and emotional wellbeing.
When we do not get enough sleep, our body accumulates a sleep dept. This is where our body and mind function less optimally. You start to feel tired throughout the day, energy is low, and your mind seems foggy. Even getting an hour less of sleep than our body needs will create a sleep dept, and a sleep dept will negatively impact cognitive functions and activities, like gaming.
When we get enough sleep, we actually perform better on cognitive functions rather than staying up and trying to master something. Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson discuss the importance of sleep in their book The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives. They discuss the benefits of getting a full night’s sleep rather than staying up late to work on a school assignment or study for a test. By consistently getting a fully night’s sleep, around 8 – 10 hours, kids and teens will give their brains the fuel needed to learn more effectively and perform better on tasks then if they stayed up late trying to learn the same material.
This applies to improvements in gaming performance. Many teens I work with will stay up late to “grind” in hopes to improve their gaming performance or rank. The problem is their mental functions of processing speed, working memory, and focus are weaker the less sleep they have. Even if they have less time to play, they should see an improvement in their gameplay when they consistently get the sleep their body and mind need.
A balanced lifestyle is difficult and at times a myth. However, I’ve seen how these areas positively impact my clients and myself. When I found balance with mastering activities outside of gaming, I experienced pride, accomplishment, and self-assurance that allowed me to be more flexible with my gaming. If I won a game, awesome. If I lost a game, that stinks, but it’s okay. When I primarily focused on finding mastery in gaming, my identity and self-worth was tied to how well I performed in the game and I neglected the value I created in other aspects of my life. But when I focused finding mastery in other aspects of my life like work, relationships, and other hobbies, it helped create a healthier identity not based on the results of one thing. It created balance.
The Big Picture
In addition to finding mastery in other things, consistently meditating, exercising, and getting enough sleep will positively impact your kids in every aspect of their lives. Their moods, physical health, and mental health will improve. These experiences will provide them with a foundation to be successful in areas they devote time, attention, and effort to. So, when they jump in a Valorant or Rocket League game, they will be ready to perform at their very best.
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