How Treating My Life Like A Fantasy Game Is Saving My Mental Health

At the start of November, my husband lost his job unexpectedly. He was a personal chef doing what he considered his dream job, until he cam home one Friday afternoon with all his equipment and told me the awful news. He was shaken, and so was I. This meant not only did he need to find a new job, but I needed to find one too.

My days became frantic and and I was constantly stressed about how my from-home business was being neglected.

Why did this have to happen right before the holidays? How are we going to pay rent? My mental health was spiraling downwards and I started sleeping less and less. I found myself feeling helpless and stuck...like I was floating without a tether. My husband was applying and interviewing to just as many jobs as I was, but the job hunting was slow, tedious, and exhausting for us both.

During a late-night TikTok doom scroll, I came across a video about turning your life into a game.

The video was posted by TikTok user thecheeseking03 where he was talking about how he created a spreadsheet to track his daily life and goals. He called his tasks "quests" and by checking off tasks, his "character" aka himself, leveled up - just like you would in a fantasy RPG. Yearly goals were worth 5 points, monthly were 3 points, and everything else was one point. Reaching a new level earned you an "impulse point" used for rewards that you set for yourself. I immediately went to his site and downloaded the spreadsheet for myself.

This "Real Life Game" forced me to put into writing all the things I needed to do each day. I also brainstormed goals I have for 2023 and put them into different categories like health & fitness, creativity, and business.

I made sure to put easy tasks on my daily to-do list to give myself that extra motivation. For example, I get points each day just for taking my medication, stretching, and opening my advent calendar. Once I check off a few "fun" tasks, I'm way more motivated to keep going.

Levelling-up my character boosted my mental health IRL.

What I found after only a few days of treating life like a fantasy RPG was that I had a clarity about each day that I was lacking before. Having a tangible checklist for each day helps with that sinking feeling I was waking up with. Knowing I'm working towards a reward for myself always helps, too!

The main thing this spreadsheet has done for me is provide a lightness to my routine that I desperately needed. At the end of the day, all I can do check off my silly little tasks and do my best.

If you decide to try this spreadsheet for yourself, let me know what your experience is! The spreadsheet's author challenges us to reach level 40 in one year. I'm starting now to get a one-month head start on next year. Who knows what powers and abilities I'll have by this time next year! 😊