My New Insomnia Grounding Game
Insomnia makes everything feel louder, the intrusive thoughts especially… Even the silence. Sometimes I remember my coping skills I learned in inpatient… Most of the time I don’t. But when things get really rough, sometimes my brain comes through, even in a sleep-deprived state.
A fleeting thought, oh… What was that game I used to play that helped turn my brain off? I wonder if I can get a free copy on PC?
I can not play mobile games. For me, stepping away from the computer is important, and being able to put down my current obsession instead of carrying it with me is essential. I know that if the distraction is there, I will take it.
I needed something that engaged my brain enough, but required no real thought. It makes it harder for the intrusive thoughts to barge their way in, especially when I’m this tired.
Due to the new medication I’m trying, not exactly working out; sleep seems like a distant dream. My audiobooks weren’t cutting it, the brown noise did nothing, the earplugs didn’t help… I can’t mix the medication I took with another sedative… So, here I am, staring at my computer. My brain is blank, and thoughts were too difficult to put into words, much less sentences.
But I needed to do something.
So, I found Nonogram on Steam. A game I used to play all the time. If you’ve never played, think Sudoku meets Mindsweeper… It requires a process of elimination and thinking, but it requires minimal effort, and the puzzles aren’t too difficult. I played through the free version of that, then found a hidden picture game… And let me tell you, it inspired me to write.
Lots of Cats on an Adventure (steam link)
Free, but I think they have paid DLCs. Let me tell you, it’s silly, it’s got adorable graphics, and it’s about a cat finding and gathering other cats to help him save his human from the aliens. There is a colored picture portion that tells a story (with cats hidden everywhere for you to click), and then there is a huge, scrawled-out picture with around 100 different little cats hidden for you to find. Some of them are extra hidden, and depending on where you are in the story, there is a third item to find.
It was the perfect mesh of difficulty and ease. Some cats are super easy to find, while others are much more difficult. There are hints, but they are slow to regenerate. No pressure, no clocks… And if you get bored and want to just see the story, you can move on to the next slide!
Just you and some hidden cats. Focus and enjoy the ease of accomplishing something by clicking on it.
Oh, did I mention the artwork? It’s adorable.
But it fit that need; it turned off that intrusive part of my brain for just a bit. And right now, I’ll take all the quiet I can get.
I think I found my new grounding game for now, when the words won’t flow. What are some of your silly go-to grounding practices? I’d love to hear more about them!
I’m back to hunting for cats and, hopefully, sleep!
Origionally posted on Medium
M. Drella