Gaming is nice. I’m also at an age where I have responsibilities. To no one else but my own self. And when I game too much, I think I take away from my breathing space.

No longer in uni, I know it’s not prudent to stay up till 1/2/3am. For whatever reason. It’s not always gaming, but I am certain that I’ve been able to build better sleeping habits without gaming. The allure of other things, in the end, is not as high as gaming.

When I sleep late, the next morning is awful. Where else have we heard that? I think I’d like to classify this as a toxic addiction.

Where is the time to read blogs, write this blog, respond to text messages, and so on — when I’m rushing to get ready for work and start at my fixed hour?

All these activities then bleed into my working hours.

Cue less productive work days.

Cue overwhelm trying to keep up with life.

Cue panic because I’m stealing time from my employers.

Whenever I’ve needed to take big steps and make big changes in my life, I’ve taken an off from gaming for years altogether. The healthiest relationship I had was when I was finishing high school. I not only got great scores, but also used gaming as a planned, limited, frequent respite. Both halves — happy.

Playing video games now is not something I can flip between throughout the day. It’s two big chunks of time for each one, and I can’t mix them together. No one does.

I sense, soon, it will be time to play video games that are not addictive. Instead, those that are restful, slow, and noncompetitive. To find a balance that works for me. And to deal with grief from not playing games that have been my staple and satisfy me.

All to create breathing space for me to take my next leaps.