Burnout is real in the business community. With each passing year, business professionals are being asked to do more and more.
As connecting to your co-workers (from anywhere in the world) becomes easier, we’re pressured to ”always “be on” and to respond to requests from leadership at the drop of a hat.
It’s intense out there.
So, what can you do to give yourself a bit of relief and avoid burnout? Yes, you could take a vacation, do some yoga, or take a walk. Those are all tried and true tactics to cut back on the stress.
But what about an outside the box tactic that you may not have tried?
Gaming.
Yes, gaming. As in video games or online games. When you think about it, unwinding during the work day with a little gaming break makes a ton of sense.
Video games are a great way to escape the rigors of real life. So, why not bring gaming into your stress relief arsenal when it comes to your professional world?
As a business owner, I deal with a lot of stress myself. So, I totally get it. You need to unwind.
To help you find a creative outlet to unwind and get your energy back, I’ve tested out a bunch of gaming options. In this article, I’ll walk you through a few of my favorites so you can test out the “gaming as a stress relief” theory for yourself.
It worked for me, so hopefully you find peace (and fun) in taking a brief break here and there to indulge your inner gamer and get back to work ready to go.
Let’s jump in!
Plays.org
The first site I checked out was Plays.org. I have to say, this was my favorite of all the sites. There really is something for everyone, as well as for every mood.
With this site, you can play directly on your laptop or desktop, so you don’t have to download any bulky apps on your phone. And perhaps the great part, you don’t have to deal with any of those pesky, paid upgrades.
And, as an added bonus, the website is built on WordPress, my favorite CMS, and the CMS of choice for the website you’re currently visiting!
The games are quick, so you can take on a few challenges during your lunch break and get back to work without skipping a beat.
There are tons of categories ranging from Arcade Classics, First Person Shooter, and Cartoon games, to Sports, Education, and so many more.
I personally found myself in the land of nostalgia playing Neon Invaders (think Galaga of the Atari days) and Pac-Rat (yep…you guessed it, reminiscent of Pac-Man).
Plays.org is a great resource for stress relief, so if you have a bit of gamer in your blood like I do, check it out.
Play-Solitaire.com
Playing card games is a great way to keep your mind healthy and entertain yourself at the same time. It’s no secret that Solitaire remains one of the most popular card games, despite the wide variety of options available.
Anyone of any age and interest can enjoy it, so why not join in?
Card games like Solitaire are basically puzzles and you can significantly improve your brain health and cognitive function by solving this puzzle.
The longer you play Solitaire the greater the chance of retaining mental sharpness. A great website to play this game full screen is Play-Solitaire.com.
Roblox
This is an interesting space. I’ve seen the name Roblox around quite a bit, but I had never ventured to check it out until I set out to write this article. I was fully under the impression that Roblox was a game in and of itself, but it’s not.
Roblox is essentially a gaming community where developers create and publish a wide variety of games. To use Roblox on your laptop or desktop, you first need to download the software. Once the download is complete, you simply select the game of your choosing and start playing.
Roblox offers the added benefit of being allowing users to chat with other gamers on the platform. This is great, as it creates discussion and a deeper connection to the game…if you have the time.
That leads to one of the biggest issues with Roblox. It’s a serious time investment. While you can jump on for a bit during your break, the game can suck you in, and you have to be careful not to end up staying up until 2 in the morning exploring new games and growing your characters.
Another issue is that if you really want to go anywhere with this game, then you need to be ready to spend some money. While playing, you will come across a lot of opportunities to upgrade your characters, so you’ll need to have a credit card attached to your profile, or you’ll need to ask for Roblox gift cards for all of your upcoming special occasions.
As a busy professional, you may not have the time to deeply invest in a game like this. So, while it does provide a high level of enjoyment, you need to be a disciplined person and be able to pull yourself away and avoid losing sleep easily. Otherwise, getting into this one could impact your job performance and cause a drop in productivity
Mindgames.com
This is a great tool to keep your mind sharp during the day. If you find yourself slipping into a trance, take a break and jump on mindgames.com. I love this one because it really challenges you and serves as a way keep your mind sharp.
Sometimes, as busy professionals, we can get caught up in the monotony of tasks like answering emails, updating spreadsheets (yuck!), or organizing files on our messy desktops. When that happens, your brain can tend to go into auto-pilot.
On mindgames.com you can play games like Sudoku and Mahjong, tackle challenging crossword puzzles, play chess, and even train your brain with the aptly named Brain Trainer.
In Brain Trainer, you can select from games that help with memory, improving reaction time, logic, building focus, and more. There are varying levels of difficulty, and even some of the seemingly easy games are quite daunting once you realize you’re battling against a 30-second timer.
This is a great tool to keep your mind sharp and wake up your brain during your lunch break. You’ll want to pass this one along to your colleagues in hopes of sharpening up the entire team!
Facebook has been in the gaming space for years. Think back to the days of Farmville. No longer available, this super-basic game became a phenomenon and had people of all ages addicted.
Facebook has kept up with the times and continues to add new games to their arsenal to keep users interested and playing. The list of games has expanded significantly since Facebook initially launched its foray into the gaming space.
Now, you can sign onto your Facebook account and play anything from PGA Golf Shootout and Dirtbike Unchained to Viking Wars and Bejeweled.
I found Bejeweled, a Facebook Games classic, was a great way to forget about the stresses of a busy day at the office, and it helps keep your mind sharp at the same time.
Whatever game you choose, this can definitely be the distraction you need midday to refresh and then go back into your workday full force. The only issue I find with Facebook Games is, again, the paying for add-ons. Aside from that, it can be a great escape.
My Conclusion
After conducting this study (by the way, this was the most fun I’ve ever had doing research), I’ve concluded that gaming is 100% a viable way to relieve stress. And for the busy professional, there are options to help with whatever you’re dealing with at the time.
If you need something to keep you calm and relaxed, there are plenty of games for that. If you’re just a bit on edge and in that toe-tapping mindset, there are plenty of games that will pull you out of that world by making you focus on various tasks and shifting your concentration away from the things that are bothering.
So, if the midday walks and yoga time aren’t working, I highly suggest considering gaming as an alternative method, as a busy business professional, to relieve your stress and ultimately improve your performance.
These five options are a great place to start, and if you find your gaming spark here, there are plenty of different options on each channel, so you won’t have to go far to find your next favorite stress-relieving game.
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“Some video games are built to give you a short experience where you can be competent or autonomous,” said Chris Ferguson, a psychology professor who researches video games at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida in the US. Gaming might also help with creative thinking and problem solving. Stepping away from a tricky task for a few minutes of gaming might spur a new perspective on a business problem or help to reset your mind during an especially difficult day, say experts.
I agree. There are lots of great games I played when I was younger that involves puzzles and critical thinking to advance through various levels. While video games, if you play them for too long, are not good for your physical health, they can certainly give a boost to your mental health.