How to deal with Overwhelm

[@exactly1176]

The gamer therapist ❤

[@AlmightyScorchy]

What about Dr K?

[@ThisisCitrus]

HealthyGamerGG ftw, though Dragoon is a good chill person to listen to.

[@Ajplays543]

He is mine

[@NonEmployee]

The multi-tasking bit is so right. I've gotten to the point I will listen to music, "watch" a video, and play a game at the same time. That's 2 or 3 sources of music and 3 sources of sound in general at the same time. And it's ADDICTING for me. No matter how much I want to stop, I feel wrong if I'm not multi-tasking. And I hate it, because I miss out on things like enjoying game soundtracks, understanding game stories, fully enjoying what I'm doing, etc. And that's not even considering the brain rot it's caused. Take it from me. Please people, don't multi-task.

[@xaero212]

how do you plan to heal?

[@NonEmployee]

@@xaero212 Sadly I currently don't have one, as I don't know how to actually fix it other than maybe to try and force it. I have an idea, but I have to wait until December until I can get an answer for that.

[@xaero212]

@@NonEmployee let me know what idea it is - if you can. Seems like our symptoms are really similar.

[@Rainhartt]

I have the same problem an leave this comment just to read the outcome in Dezember.

[@Bawkr]

My biggest issue is I want to have youtube on as sort of a traditional always on TV but I've gotten to a point where a lot of the daily videos don't interest me, it's really good videos like this one that do but I can't really watch these in a TV sort of way. Well I can and do but I don't get as much out of them and have to re-watch or pause them if I do. Aside from that I think I'm pretty focused barely anyone talks to me and I don't have much notifications outside of that. Have my phone pretty toned down compared to what I've seen other people doing.

[@oscarmejia1632]

I just played this video on my tv then proceeded to just lay on my couch hands on my stomach. Therapy is in session!

[@Lindani_Mvano]

Same but I am on my bed, feels even better because I went to the gym this morning 😅

[@mycommentmyopinion]

I have started meditating and it really helps dealing with overwhelming situations, my attention span and life quality overall, can only recommend

[@mycommentmyopinion]

It's pretty frustrating to start tho, since it's a skill that needs to be build from the ground up.

[@USCSSHighCharity]

A thing that has really helped me declutter my mind and cope with the endlessly overwhelming and attention grabbing modern world is rethinking how I used music. It’s great to hear you separating your music from your iPhone which inherently makes your music choice more intentional because you have to burn it , but by going beyond this into behavioural change is really what has turned some things around for me. By rethinking music I mean that everyone nowadays uses KZbin or music to replace the engagement/input from doing boring or monotinous tasks and in the end it makes the impact of our music worse and sooner or later becomes a crutch to do those tasks. Rather by removing music from my tasks like driving to school, doing home chores, cooking, and gaming, music that I previously had heard on repeat feels as if it is my first time listening again and I really am just setting time aside now in the morning and after school to sit outside and listen to music. By doing this music becomes an enjoyable activity by itself but also allows my mind to unwind and ignore the constant distractions. Try it out, see how it works. Been loving the content the last few months, keep it up and stay safe!❤️

[@machupeepoo8431]

Being overwhelmged by a backlog is brutal. And then, when a game doesn't really spark my interest and I stop playing, I either force myself to play it because it's popular/FOMO. Recently, I've stopped that and just focused on the games I get excited about. But what's honestly made a difference is realizing I don't have to play video games every night and I probably shouldn't. I've been allowing myself to just relax elsewhere in the house. Build my Gunpla backlog. Do some gardening and other boring yet fulfilling adult stuff. So then when I get that itch, it points me towards a game that I genuinely feel like playing. RIght now it's New World and I'm loving it.

[@vidurpatel9381]

Love your content, you are literally my therapist brother. These videos about life and handling it is helping me a lot.

[@Ealsonspite]

I'm trying to declutter my life from distractions too. And one thing I stopped doing, and I've been practicing this for about a year now, is I don't use my phone whenever I eat. I don't even allow myself to think about anything else. I focus my attention solely on the food. It has become like a form of meditation for me. I feel more connected and appreciative of the food I eat. I dunno. It just feels right.

[@WestVlaamskeGruffalo]

Ditched everything social media after watching one of your previous videos. Its a liberating feeling not constantly having the urge to constant checking facebook. Thanks man.

[@5_R1NGS]

Man I love you. I watched so many videos from you today and the topics you are talking about are so relatetable. Thank you for your work.

[@stingakuma]

You are slowly becoming my favorite gaming KZbinr. Keep up the good work

[@The1stminecrafteer]

As someone who got a steam deck, I love it. I stop whatever I'm playing earlier to get into bed or just turn everything off and just focus on the steam deck. no extra screens, no notifications(you can go offline or disable popups if you don't want steam friend popups). When I use the steam deck, that is the main focus. I do not play multiplayer games on it unless I bring it to a friends house. I have been playing forager recently and it so nice to just disconnect from problems for a bit.

[@redbandjack]

Out of sight, out of mind. Physical clutter absolutely distracts me and I feel so good when I get it out of the way.

[@JK-fw4ph]

Thank you for this video, this felt very therapeutic. I noticed today that I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't even do anything. Not watch a tv show, listen to the radio or even read a back. The feeling it gave me was dreading bit eventually I thought "ok apparently my head just needs nothing right now." It took awhile before I was able to accept this and at that point I literally laid on the couch and just stared at the wall. After that I took a bath without my phone and after that I went for a drive. When I came back I was still feeling overwhelmed, but more relaxed. I noticed my body starting to slow down and it was a comfortable feeling. For the rest of the day I've been pretty tired but right now I have energy to watch KZbin and just that. No multi tasking. It feels so much better. I'm pretty zen right now. To me this shows how we should really listen to our bodies instead of finding the next thing to try to make us feel happy.

[@Cleanpea]

This is your most well worded video, yet. I can relate! I have cancelled all my subscriptions, and got KZbin premium, for two reasons: Ads were stealing my attention and, perks like play in the background and downloads makes me able to listen while driving, while walking and being otherwise and mindfully, 'not connected.' After playing two concerts yesterday (as a professional 100% employed musician I don't get to choose my repertoire) which was so much fun, I still had to chop firewood for 30minutes, go to a meeting deliver and pick up my son at daycare, make dinner, put him to bed, clean up the house, ignore work emails, answer, make a schedule for the next day, etc. Then the next morning my wife let me sleep in, all the way to 07AM, woke up to pancakes and coffee, the next morning, I will take the kid etc. Toddler time will teach you very quickly to prioritize your well being and being effective, or else the intense time pressure will smother you. We are lucky in that we burnt out before we got kids, took it seriously and learnt a lot of method, read books, so we avoided to have to learn this as parents. Burn out has been a common phenomenon the last 20 ish years amongst ages 45-55 and lately I guess it happens sooner and sooner. There is little discourse about this and I find that your channel raises these subjects in a well spoken, serious and respectful manner, and most of all, in a generous and kind way. The most important step in the process of being good to one's self is to extend the same empathy you give others, to yourself. It is a skill that we have to practice, many can never do it. At the same time, our bodies gives us tons of feedback, signals that really, are clear as day. Tinnitus is a signal that we are overloading our hearing (and is also stress-induced), I had at one point, many different pitches in my ears and clicking noises. Drowning out the tinnitus with other noise is killing the messenger, instead, figure out ways to find complete silence for portions of your day. This was a gamechanger, we eventually moved out of the city entirely and now live in nature. The overwhelm caused by cognitive overload I thought you covered really well, you have come such a long way in handling the terminology and making the information a pleaseure to listen to. I just got Talos Principle 2 installed on a gaming only laptop, no notifications there and have been enjoying it a lot. Online shooters can take a back seat for now, as I wnjoy puzzles and RPG's these days. Thank you so much for encouraging a more mindful audience and I agree 100% with you: there is a paradigm change in the air, towards authenticity, integrity and a more intentional life-style. Subscribed, keep up the vids👍

[@CassianGray]

Your pleasant voice over gameplay of driving calmly through Cyberpunk is so relaxing. I really want to play that game now, it looks great.

[@TheAlternativeDuck]

It happens too often, but something that has helped me is pure discipline. The only thing that I keep in my mind no matter what is happening is to keep moving forward and to stay disciplined.

[@bingobetes1825]

Having a family now and a young one it is hard to have time for gaming sometimes. I still love playing my ps4 and series X from time to time but life is busy. And being connected all the time I have started reading physical books lately to get away from my phone and social media and I have to admit it has been nice to disconnect.

[@DrummerDudeCal]

I ditched everything except Facebook a few years ago, recently had a little one so iv just been constantly sorting everything out. Sometimes is good to just kick back and realise we all just need to take some time to ourselves and maybe things like social media and distractions at work don't matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Iv played a lot more indie games this year after watching your videos and its been liberating! I also find I'm so much more chilled out now! Another quality video again dude! Thanks for the content.

[@blumertempest4994]

Legit im now realizing why i feel so much happier when i lose my phone sometimes. Ill just curl up and watch an episode of doctor who and feel like a kid again.

[@invisibleloveone]

Amazing video! I felt this video to the core. I actually started walking on my breaks while working from home. I agree with notifications. I bought a separate phone for work, and it snaps in to DND at 5 pm to 7 am. As for my personal phone, I disable my FB and IG accounts and yet time limits on my apps such as KZbin, so when I hit that limit, it freezes for the rest of the day. I wish I had a better way to separate work from home life. I only have one desk, so I don't game on PC as much because it's also my work desk. I enjoy steam deck and console now.

[@goldfish1837]

Brilliant like usual. You inspired me at the start of this year to make a backlog and it has been a game changer in terms of both stress and enjoyment

[@Mookie-Jones]

I love your commentary. Like old 2009 youtube. No one does a classic 10 minute commentary anymore

[@xSTONYTARKx]

The mess in my house slowly creeping up on me seems like a never ending cycle. After i come home from work i have a few hours before i gotta go to sleep for work the next day, and i often can't push myself to consistently do my householding tasks. And the breakpoint you described happens to me as well. When i reach it i clean the entire apartment in one go and after it's clean it feels so good and i promis myself to keep it clean. But eventually i sink back into the same cycle again.

[@Estaran]

This. 100%. First I thought this was all part of some nostalgic retro view, but getting dedicated devices for those tasks really IS a big win. Most of the time I have my phone on mute and only look at the notifications from time to time, when the "blue light" (indicating new messages) blinks. We really should disconnect more often, that makes the parts WHEN you connect with others via smartphone or PC/Discord so much more worth IMHO. P.S.: The Steam Deck really was a massive change for me for gaming, as I don't have 1000 other programs open in the background and thus only focus on the game at ("in") hand. 😁

[@marni6483]

taking a break from something is always great! as a long time gamer, i recently started to feel less and less desire to play games. i just have more inportant stuff to do, but when i have that time to play a game i enjoy it at its fullest for that session. same goes with drawing for me. i LOVE to draw as a hoby, but recentlly i dont have that spark to draw. But when it clicks i do it at its fullest potencial. not feeling the need for it, not feeling dreged, but when that desire come. no FOMO experience, ye sure i do miss that limited skin that will never return or whatever, but im here for the game as it is, not to gring a stupid amount of point to get free stuff... having fun is the main part of gaming. everything else are additions to it..... damn i feel old :D

[@sorasora6809]

As a top 1% user of Todoist for a few years running, it's good to hear it in a shoutout here.

[@rankedlotus1000]

Great video man :D Realized halfway through that i was playing a game while watching and then paused it lol

[@PrestigiousConman]

0:12 Man I’ve been doing that for years, especially when I get a new PC or a Console, I can’t help the urge of wanting to clean my space fully before using my technology because I respect it & paid for it. I went a year or two with my PC & console without dust. Im saying take care of yourself & environment before engaging in other external matters & it will compound into an elegant & coherent blissful experience. Ive seen people who game in a disordered environment & they’re miserable inside even while playing their favorite games because you’re essentially burying whats more important than gaming, which is yourself. Instead of taking care of YOUR vehicle, you take care of another vehicle that’s supposed to compliment your being not replace it. God damn, Im a poet… I don’t know where that came from.

[@gladiatorscoops4907]

Fantastic video as always, You make some really good points. The things that work for me is setting reminder alarms on your phone for stuff you need to do - that takes a load off your mind for videogame paralysis - instead of sitting there thinking - "what am I going to play, I dont fancy playing that because.....or that because......" just pick one game and no matter how you feel just play it. As a kid growing up I used to only have that 1 game at a time, id play it to death, im trying to get into that mindset again. I have about 5 single player games Ive started but haven't completed, but I said to myself - im finishing Cyberpunk, even though I didnt particularly wanna play it when I logged into steam, 5 mins in and I was really enjoying it. Just one thing I wanted to ask, could you possibly put in your video description the games you are playing in the video? Some of them look really fun to play, obv things like Cyberpunk everyone knows, but that game at the end of the video looked so much fun to play! But also if its some obscure Indie game, then it might send players their way. All the best

[@antagonistes_]

The game at the end was Celeste.

[@LexJoeHome]

Moving from a big city in a big state to a small city in a small state has reduced my overwhelm substantially.

[@KevinKoolx]

My job is social media so setting boundaries is crucial

[@pheria]

Allow yourself your hobbies and your passions, and be confident in engaging with them. I feel a lot of guilt when I'm trying to relax and play a game. It feels like I *should* let something interrupt me, but it isn't necessarily true. Setting aside intentional moments to say "It's OK to relax/enjoy this right now, I deserve it" helps a little. It's difficult to do. Retro Bird has a running joke in his videos about an inner voice saying "You don't deserve to Donkey Kong", and that's pretty much the feeling always getting in the way.

[@dandyboytv8204]

I feel you.. Couple weeks ago I arc flashed myself while working in a DC power distribution bay. Cooked a couple of my fingers from the heat.. Dumb mistake I would never make but that day I was tired and just being lazy not wanting to setup a safe work place. Completely out of character for me but stress and distractions caught up to me.

[@nardoverso]

I just want to say that I really like your videos focusing on the gamers rather than the games and that I take inspiration to make my videos in Portuguese

[@stickarama]

I needed this. Thank you ❤

[@ThisisCitrus]

Clear space, clear mind.

[@awtlander]

letting go of distractions, notifications, social media and all that shit has been INTEGRAL in my recovery process lately, i got rid of almost all the social media platforms i used to frequent (facebook, twitter, instagram), threw my phone away whenever i didn't actually need it, started meditating, started actually touching grass on the regular, started learning a new language and it has (and is still) done wonders for my mental health AND for my overall enjoyment of games lol i haven't cleared this many games in a long ass time before, i used to think i could never finish a long game again because my attention span was shot and i couldn't focus because all these things were pulling away at my attention and i legit could not play anything for more than an hour or so, now im 60 hours deep into Dragon's Dogma 2 and every play session has been absolutely immaculate

[@awtlander]

also another huge thing that really changed the way i view my backlog is to stop likening it to a checklist. Often times i'd feel frustrated because i have all these games and i haven't played any of them and i'd feel really bad everytime im looking at my steam library so i'd end up just going back to games i already played, a sort of comfort zone if you will now im looking at my steam library as just that: a library. It's like a library of books, you take a look, go "oooo this game looks cool" and then you play it. Your games won't go away all of a sudden (although it could totally happen we live in dark ages when it comes to actually owning digital games lol), but realistically Steam isn't going to die overnight, and companies won't just suddenly take your game licences away (unless you're Ubisoft), so you can just take your time & change the way you view your library. It's not a checklist!

[@nomadicstrength]

Bro is that Cyberpunk? That looks gorgeous! Edit: I firmly believe (and I'm biased I know I was born in 92) that things were at their most balanced technologically in the 90s and early 2000s. You had devices that helped you enjoy the life you already had, not make perverse aggressive attempts to replace it.

[@Litras_Samagono]

Fair point. Although, I would also point out, that (at least on Samsung Android One UI, idk 'bout iPhone, haven't used it), you can literally turn off every notification off, even SMS. That's what I did, I left only most important notifications on like calls, messages and weather. This way you won't get crowded with useless info as mentioned in this video. On the other hand, I do agree that in today's world, once you enter any news website, whether it be reddit, some gaming news, cnn, local news website, whatever, you're constantly bombarded with lots of info and the hard part is to notice and select really useful information, cause there's really a lot of trash info online. This is the hard part.

[@antagonistes_]

I think his argument was that it is easier to resist the temptation of turning notifications back on when you are not giving yourself the choice to have distracting notifications in the first place.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

This exact thing is what irritates me about the game industry nowadays. Up into my 20's games have been a therapeutic ESCAPE my mind. Puzzles to interact with. I would play Skate 1, Batman, LA Noir, Extreme sports, wacky sports, combat sports, So many Games where i could just Zone out & get lost in a game with satisfying aesthetics, satisfying gameplay mechanics, etc. This is what current video games have completely forgotten about

[@fddodgers11]

I’m slowing getting on board with wanting to just focus on one game at a time, but the struggle is having the desire to play all the games now and then of course the live service ones that demand to be played now. It’s almost like a multitask of a multitask; just not at the same time but still wanting to do more than you can do at once- another definition of overwhelm. Lastly with the multitask thing its like something you felt like you could do when younger, but its like probably never doable but it does get even harder to do as you get older.

[@JK-fw4ph]

My man it's also ok to just not playing anything for the moment. Let you brain slow down and then decide what game you want to play.

[@fddodgers11]

​@JK-fw4ph my bad was trying to get that edited all week. I do have the desire to play all of them just at the same time. Do need to stop stretching myself to thin though.

[@Punkertoon]

Feeling overwhelmed from notifications is the reason I refuse to put Teams and Outlook on my phone for work. I would never stop working if I saw those.

[@Bizbappo7171]

Love you gamer therapist ❤️

[@GoreWizzard]

I'm just sold my Xbox SX to solely focus on my Switch, found my mp3 player and it feels sooooo good. Only games and music on your devices, nothing more.

[@Buddhakingpen]

*nods head in agreement, while on computer with 9 tabs open while playing a mindless farming game* "yeah man, fuck distractions"

[@rossmpostpro]

I'm fortunate to be very disciplined but a top tip would be; get your phone out of the bedroom. Best thing my wife and I ever did. Reserve that space for rest and away from the noise. I can't personally relax or work productively until my space is clear. Tidy desk, tidy mind... Has always helped my focus and creativity.

[@superstonewarrior]

Sold my ps5 and picked up an Xbox 360. That, along with my old ps2, has been my primary console for the last month or so and it's been fantastic to just boot up the console and launch right into a game with no interruption and no massive backlog of digital games weighing me down mentally

[@jensdpunkt3705]

I have a PS3 and a PS% so I can play, PS3, PS4 and PS5 games. Should last me a couple of years.

[@Bawkr]

I don't have any tips, I actually need help in this area. I live way out in the middle of nowhere so I pretty much have to haul my own junk, I sell stuff for a living so it makes getting rid of stuff a little more difficult, not everything but a lot of different things. Some of the stuff I have that I'm not selling is kind of getting on my nervs and it's stuff that people gave me for the most part or also things that they were throwing out that in that moment I grabbed to keep. If I could make all of those specific things vanish for no charge at all right this second I would do it in a heartbeat. I don't really have a plan step by step to get rid of it usually end up with a bunch of piles of different stuff that sit and get scattered & pulled from, never finished. Haven't figured out exactly how to do all of it efficiently but I think it really does bother my confidence & probably other traits as well having all of this extra junk that isn't about to be sold or up for sell. I also use scrap to repair things but I'm honestly thinking about getting rid of that because things don't look the way I want them to look because of it. It's getting hard to decide what I will need for scrap and not etc. I dunno maybe it's just going to take some time and I need to start declining peoples stuff so that I can focus more. I spend a lot of time making money just to survive so it makes it hard to set aside the time to purge junk.

[@lorenzocosta1708]

Cal Newport mentioned!? LET'S GOOOOO!

[@Kim_Morton]

I have set my phone so that notifications dont get through. No sound, no vibration, nothing on the screen. I see the notifications when I decide myself to check the phone. Only calls get through normally. And for gaming I have started playing mostly ps2/GC/N64 games because I missed those consoles completely back in the day

[@aznbreaker37]

I actually turn off all my notifications for social media unless it’s a direct message. It makes it easier to not worry about things involving my posts and whether or not I’m getting likes at least for me.

[@nemesis--sol1467]

See for me I’m in a long distance relationship and I really don’t like being on my phone but this relationship is everything and I need my phone to keep up with everything In terms of video games I’ve been finally breaking my destiny 2 habit, been playing other games and it’s so nice 😅

[@blamejohnath]

I want to try the dumbphone x miniature tablet combo, I’ve heard its elite

[@greyspaniard]

5 weeks ago I broke my left clavicle MTBing. I went OTB on a corner I've taken easily so many times....

[@vans2548]

What a mood 😔

[@BigTusk25]

have you been spying on me i been having this feeling for 2 years now LOL

[@papadank1972]

Its time for stoicism my friend

[@Destide]

Time budgets are as important as finacial ones.

[@modusaparandi8239]

What is your system specs?

[@joshfoustcommunity8928]

Life is definitely overwhelming, the upcoming election is the biggest hurdle to get through, and I hope that democracy wins, I’m voting in a week, and I’m voting all democrat to save democracy, I want to fight for it like the people did in world war 2, this means the world to me, and I want future generations to have democracy!

[@jensdpunkt3705]

The fact that you are voting means you are living in a democracy. You just want the "right" side to win, that is totally not what Democracy means.

[@GoOKuSj33]

I turned down ALL notifications on my phone.

[@billstintman]

How do you play GBA on your 3ds? My 3ds does not have a gba slot...

[@kekplexis]

So basically digital downshifting. Doesn't work for everyone

[@SumPixelz]

Turn off notifications. Or better, delete your social media accounts. Thank me later.

[@svenstylesz]

This ☝️

[@MichaelNobleMusic]

How to deal with debt collectors?

[@mirageY2000]

did you used to or currently make creepypasta content or am I just cooked?

[@Destide]

Anxiety the modern creepypasta

[@maxsinclair787]

i haven't watched any of the video yet but i have the answer. lie in bed and let the existential dread wash over you like waves crashing in a storm.... your welcome

[@CrazyGaming-ig6qq]

Is it too much dread if you imagine that some time after we pass away we get reborn, and what and where and when we get reborn we have zero control and it WILL happen. And the reincarnation will happen infinitely. You'll sometimes get reborn into horrible existences, some of them extremely long and extremely painful. In one of them you'll be confined to a small space with zero chance of escape. The air (or equivalent resource your reincarnated body needs) will be removed from your little prison every 20 min until you pass out. Then the resource will be re-added so that you keep living. You can't get old either, since advanced technology that has solved any aging, makes sure you'll stay alive for billions of years until the end of that particular universe. Then finally after billions of years of daily excruciating hell the end of that universe finally happens and you pass over again. In between that time trillions and trillions of years may pass by before you reincarnate again, a new universe, the old long gone, and this time you may have a wonderful life for maybe 6o years, for billions of years, or maybe you'll randomly draw the shortest straw once again and another row of billions of years of hell again. You'll never recall any of it between reincarnations either, you'll always forget, forever unable to break the cycle to finally save yourself permanently. Yet, maybe we can still have a bit of hope that we may eventually break the cycle. Or I could be totally wrong..

[@maxsinclair787]

@@CrazyGaming-ig6qq damn I was just on the vanilla existential dread of heat death of the universe. My eyes have been opened to a whole new level. Let me lie here for a while and contemplate some more.

[@jensdpunkt3705]

@@CrazyGaming-ig6qq Keep collecting Karma, it will help you with reincarnation. Apart from that: You are correct in your assumption.

[@slackstarfish8133]

This is why I don’t play Destiny 2 anymore. Not only is it an overwhelming amount of convoluted systems and bounties, but it’s just so unfun. 75% of the game is the most repetitive, bland shit that you have to do to get to the content that is actually engaging.

[@VIPFYI]

FIRST!!!

[@KansaiCool]

Second!