Andrew Chase
Opinions Editor
Throughout the history of mankind, there is a certain, almost primitive feeling that has been so crucial to our survival as a species but also has the power to become incredibly overwhelming to many. The feeling that I am talking about is stress. Stress can be a very nerve-racking topic for many people to talk about for a vast amount of reasons but I am a firm believer in the notion that talking about stress triggers with others is a great way to solve ways to deal with those stressors.
I believe that having stress is an integral part of the human condition. For those who are unaware of what exactly the human condition is, the human condition is generally defined as the encompassing shared experiences of being a sentient being. Since literally everyone gets stressed, regardless of what some may say, I feel like that reason alone should make it easier for people to talk to others about their stressors but unfortunately it isn’t that easy.
In many cases, stress can cause people to pick up unhealthy habits as a coping mechanism to combat stress. A very widespread habit that many pick up due to trying to ease stress is smoking and drinking. Smoking cigarettes is a very common coping mechanism that is seen in more older people now. If you think that this unhealthy habit is only affecting the older generations then you’re wrong because the younger generations are just as addicted to nicotine but they prefer vaping it over smoking it. I believe that the reason that people take on these unhealthy stress coping mechanisms is because many people don’t know how to properly manage their stress so they fall into picking up bad habits.
One of my favorite ways to release stress is by playing a variety of games such as video games, board games, card games, and tabletop games. I believe that playing video games are a fantastic way to relieve stress from the body because whenever someone picks up a controller and starts playing a game, they have the ability to immerse themselves within an entirely new universe. The second that someone is able to escape their reality and forget all of their worries for a bit is a crucial part to relieving stress. All the time I see my friends and family being constantly stressed out about homework, projects, studying, and their jobs while I am just always jubilant. So many of my friends ask me how I can always be happy and joyful while everyone around me is incredibly overwhelmed and stressed out, my answer to them is always the same. I always tell them about how playing games and escaping reality for a bit is the key to keeping myself from being overwhelmed with stress.
Although I believe that playing a variety of games such as video games, board games, card games, and tabletop games is an absolutely amazing way to get rid of stress, there are some downsides to it. A huge con to playing games to relieve stress is that someone can fall into a time trap of playing games for too long and forgetting to do their work. Despite this trap, I still believe that in moderation playing games is an absolutely superb way to relieve stress in a healthy manner.
Andrew Chase can be contacted at:
opinions@kscequinox.com
