Sim Racing and mental health. Is it your escape?

[Trebor901]

Quite a random post but one I've been thinking about a lot lately. Life around the world (being from UK we've been hit pretty hard with the lockdown life) this past year hasn't been easy for anyone and far from normal. I'm a mental health sufferer. I'm not afraid to tell people because it's always interesting to see their opinions on bad mental health. I suffer with depression quite badly but have been using sim racing and gaming in general as my escape a lot this past year.

Personally I'm able to focus better and put in more time and effort with the sim racing side than I ever have. Whether it's on xbox or on pc I've played more games than ever.

 

[Kenny Paton]

Personally I'm able to focus better and put in more time and effort with the sim racing side than I ever have. Whether it's on

There's been several studies showing that playing videogames is good for your mental health during lockdown.
I'm glad you're coping and hope that this discussion will be an encouragement to others here and that all replies will be both sensible and sensitive.

 

[Trebor901]

There's been several studies showing that playing videogames is good for your mental health during lockdown.
I'm glad you're coping and hope that this discussion will be an encouragement to others here and that all replies will be both sensible and sensitive.

I remember in the first lockdown last year I played far cry 5 from start to finish and loved it. Plus loads of other games. I'm guessing it's because gaming kind of keeps your brain active and interested in something whether it's racing or a storyline in a game.

I hope so too. Its a rubbish subject to talk about because people think it makes them seem weak. I definitely did when I first realised I was suffering a few years ago. But I personally think it does the exact opposite. It shows strength.

 

[AndrewBo]

Now that is a very nice Thread. Please let all replies be both sensible and sensitive.

 

[dan0812]

Nope. I seem to make zero improvements despite lots of time invested in practice and watching videos. So it becomes a negative experience - potentially hundreds upon hundreds of hours ahead just to still be crap or maybe, possibly aspire to be average. The 'Sell an item' tab on ebay keeps calling at me.

 

[R8pilot]

For me, building a drive/fly rig was a super fun diversion from the tedium and loneliness of this past year.

The driving is fun too, and I play for short periods several times a day. But it's frustrating as well. Rage-quitting after yet another crash while tip-toeing around the 'Ring in a car with no grip is a common experience. Over-all, though, it's been a net positive for me.

 

[Trebor901]

For me, building a drive/fly rig was a super fun diversion from the tedium and loneliness of this past year.

The driving is fun too, and I play for short periods several times a day. But it's frustrating as well. Rage-quitting after yet another crash while tip-toeing around the 'Ring in a car with no grip is a common experience. Over-all, though, it's been a net positive for me.

The whole short periods several times a day sounds like me. I get really hyped to race something, get on it then get frustrated if im falling off the track or destroying my tyres too quickly. My wheel also frustrates me. Ive got a g29 and the clunking it makes must annoy my downstairs neighbours so much (live in a first floor flat) and that makes me really concious of the times i use it.

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Nope. Or, once, 10-ish years ago I used an RD championship race to distract my thoughts. It only worked halfway though.

For me, no matter what issue I have, no matter if it struggle to find motivation to finish something, feeling like I've failed, being pissed off or any other emotion. Going to the gym helps. That's my place of fixing stuff.
I've only once been solidly struggling, and a gym-session didn't help. But I'm brought up with the idea that feelings are healthy, so I understood I couldn't fix it myself, so it didn't take me many days to get a session with a "professional talker" (shrink, psychologist etc.). But I've jokingly said that if I am getting fat/fat-ish I'm having a good time, if I'm getting thin, I have things I need to fix. It's sorta been that way for some years.

I've been furloughed since 12th March 2020, I thought it would open up and get "normal" again when 2021 starts, so I spent much of the early furlough-days in 2020 to learn more photoshop, how to make basic renders and so on. When I realized that there will be some time before 2021 gets more "normal" I took over the Friday rF2 races here, then added Sunday-racing as well. Then we got RDRC going, so now I spend somewhere between 25 and 35 hours on RD-stuff every week. That keeps me somewhat sane.
As sane as I can possibly be, which isn't much I've heard some say ;P

 

[AccAkut]

Not right now, but basically my most active modding/creation period (from ~2014 to 2018) was probably the result of me escaping a real life in which I wasn't really moving anywhere. Making cars was doing something in which I could see results of my work, in which I made good progress and maybe also got good feedback.

Things changed, my real life got a lot better (new place, new job, new people), so content creation and sim racing went on the back burner. I still got the tools and spend quite a lot of money on it in the last year especially ( ), but it's not like I come home from unfulfilling work and need my daily fix of Blender.

 

[Dzul]

I wouldn't call it an 'escape' but I understand what you mean. To be honest I got back into SimRacing partially because of the lockdown. I needed something to do indoors that helped me focus, gave me a positive feeling and had a community around it. SimRacing was a no brainer since that was exactly what I got from it the first time around (and I had a cancelled-holiday cash return that gave me a budget ). The fact that it's booming is a welcome thing now because more people around me (my students) are getting interested and I can share all the good things I've experienced with this "hobby". Spreading the love is as positive as spending time on the virtual track.

 

[ScrewCaptain27]

Number 2 after motorcycling. When it's too cold or wet outside it's time for Assetto Corsa

 

[AndreasFSC]

I use modding, or should I say messing around with game files, to escape real life, I think. Not because my life is bad, but because I often find much human interactions exhausting. Most of the time I can handle that, but it drains my energy. Modding gives a (artificial) sense of accomplish things, and a lot of nice challenges trying to understand things, but the feeling doesn't last long sadly.

 

[Gregoryleo]

I've had to work (I don't like the word "struggle") with clinical depression since I was a child. I'm 64 now and still working on it, though it is a bit easier now. I thought I was weak because of it, but at some time in my thirties my therapist pointed out to me that it takes a lot of strength to show up in whatever way you can every day. When I was younger my relief was outdoors. According to my friends I did a lot of crazy stuff that normal people wouldn't do alone, for fear of getting themselves killed.

Now at my current age I can't do those things anymore, I have a family to care for. So, my escape is in sim racing a lot, in fact that's how I start my day, doing something I love. I don't do online racing anymore, it's too stressful. Too many Primadona's and jerks for my taste, plus I worry too much about my performance and not getting in anybody's way. Now I only do single player because I can set the ai at whatever I want them. And there is a lesson for me to remember when the ai do stupid stuff and I end up in the wall. I usually swear a couple of times, then remember it's only a game so don't sweat it. Life is only a game, we were meant to be happy and have fun, so don't sweat the small things. That and some time on my horse keeps me sane.
So, yes sim racing is definitely part of my personal therapy and maintenance program.