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Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

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Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#21

Post by thomastjeffery »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

Objectivity is a totally different headspace. That's why critical thinking is so difficult. As unfamiliar and uncomfortable as it may be, it sure does have its advantages.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#22

Post by SillyUsername »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

Not necessarily a good thing knowing the science - just off the top of my head...

Topics I wish I'd never known about

- General anaesthesia and low dose

- General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget.

- General anaesthesia stats and possibility of being awake (moreso if you're anxious about not going to sleep - it's happened to me with gas).

- Flying and why the plane needs to dive for certain scenarios.

- Flying and tolerances for wings during a storm (they're good but still!) or lightning strikes (Faraday cage but...).

- Flying and knowing about coffin corner stall limitations/margin for error.

- Flying and survival stats if there's actually a serious incident.

Probably a load more...!

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#23

Post by kulahan »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

I've heard that one of the greatest counters to fear is curiosity, and that people who tend to be more curious tend to also be less fearful. It makes sense when you think about it.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#24

Post by dclowd9901 »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

Ha, you reminded me of when I got my vasectomy. Naturally a bit nervous, I was asking about everything the doctor was doing as he was doing it. It actually did help me get through the procedure with less nerves (it’s really not a bad procedure at all, just for anyones edification).

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#25

Post by ambicapter »

SillyUsername wrote: post #22
VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

Not necessarily a good thing knowing the science - just off the top of my head... Topics I wish I'd never known about - General anaesthesia and low dose - General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget. - General anaesthesia stats and possibility of being awake (moreso if you're anxious about not going to sleep - it's happened to me with gas). - Flying and why the plane needs to dive for certain s…

> Flying and knowing about coffin corner stall limitations/margin for error.

Unless you're already one hell of a pilot you will never be anywhere close to coffin corner.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#26

Post by VectorLock »

SillyUsername wrote: post #22
VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

Not necessarily a good thing knowing the science - just off the top of my head... Topics I wish I'd never known about - General anaesthesia and low dose - General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget. - General anaesthesia stats and possibility of being awake (moreso if you're anxious about not going to sleep - it's happened to me with gas). - Flying and why the plane needs to dive for certain s…

>General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget.

This freaked me out as well. Wouldn't I know in the moment? Do we actually experience something if we don't encode memories for it?

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#27

Post by the_af »

SillyUsername wrote: post #22
VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

Not necessarily a good thing knowing the science - just off the top of my head... Topics I wish I'd never known about - General anaesthesia and low dose - General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget. - General anaesthesia stats and possibility of being awake (moreso if you're anxious about not going to sleep - it's happened to me with gas). - Flying and why the plane needs to dive for certain s…

> General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget

Do you mean that this happens for some people? For me, GA felt like a very deep dream where I didn't notice falling asleep but I definitely remember what I dreamed.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#28

Post by pts_ »

VyseofArcadia wrote: post #11

Different take on the headline: when I was little and scared at the doctor, my mom would distract me from shots etc. by telling me about how they work and all the science behind them. I still do this at the doctor if I'm nervous about the procedure. Try distracting yourself by attempting to work through the details of what's going on. Even if you're wrong, it's a distraction and a good exercise, and maybe you can ask…

I have dealt with the pandemic and wfh stress by immersing myself in science and technology.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#29

Post by throwaway049 »

1-more wrote: post #19
swasheck wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i did this with air disasters. i'd been terrified of flying for many years so i immersed myself in every kinds of media i could find on the topic. i found it oddly comforting (though i definitely overthink things whilst in the air at times). geeking out has helped me navigate some tense moments.

The audio recordings of pilots and air traffic controllers doing their best Chuck Yeager voice during a malfunction and going through checklists and binders and clipboards is immensely reassuring to me. There's contingency plans for all the contingency plans. Everyone involved made their bed well enough to bounce a quarter off of it that morning and (where applicable) trimmed their mustaches to conform to some NIST s…

A few years ago a passenger plane had a window blow out and some other problems. In the radio recordings the pilot, a former military flying instructor, sounded completely unperturbed.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#30

Post by munificent »

the_af wrote: post #27
SillyUsername wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily a good thing knowing the science - just off the top of my head... Topics I wish I'd never known about - General anaesthesia and low dose - General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget. - General anaesthesia stats and possibility of being awake (moreso if you're anxious about not going to sleep - it's happened to me with gas). - Flying and why the plane needs to dive for certain s…

> General anaesthesia and the idea you are actually awake but forget Do you mean that this happens for some people? For me, GA felt like a very deep dream where I didn't notice falling asleep but I definitely remember what I dreamed.

I think the parent poster if confusing general anesthesia from sedation [1]. If you got a colonoscopy or your wisdom teeth out, it was probably sedation. If you got major surgery where they cut a big hole in you, that's more likely to be general anesthesia.

"Twilight sedation" is pretty spooky from a philosophical perspective. You are somewhat aware of what's happening to you and are experiencing it in the moment. But you are unable to form long term memories of it, so after the procedure, it's like it didn't happen. But there was a point in time where they you that you were was at least somewhat conscious of the procedure.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedation

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