Gamify Your Life For Better Mental Health

“The word “gamification” is relatively recent, dating back to 2008, when it originated in the gaming industry, although it did not gain widespread popularity until several years later. However, the concept itself is much older: leveraging the natural human compulsion to compete, achieve, socialize, participate and cooperate within a framework of a game to accomplish a broad range of goals, including improved education, more effective marketing, or simply getting children to do their chores with fewer complaints. Interestingly, the same techniques can be used in healthcare, especially in the area of mental health, to improve well-being and sense of self-worth and potentially reduce the need for medication.

Gamification is closely linked to gratification, as it promotes a sense of achievement. Proof that it works can be seen in the popularity of computer games. According to a recent study, playing computer games can, by itself, promote well-being.

For a personal gamification project, I would recommend the following simple system to start with:

• Decide on a scoring system that incorporates your daily routine. Award yourself points for tasks that, although commonplace, nevertheless require some effort (physical or psychological). At the starting level, concentrate only on positive points. For example, you might set the following scoring system: +10 for getting up within 5 minutes of the alarm, +20 for catching up with friends, +20 for taking a walk, +10 for every 10 minutes of physical exercise, etc. This scoring system will assign a clear value to daily actions and guide your mind toward immediate, psychologically tangible gain following the completion of the task.

• Set a daily target of points to achieve. The target will depend on the tasks you include in your scoring. Make sure the number of points you target is achievable but does require some effort. You may have to experiment a bit. It’s better to start low and raise it if you see that you constantly achieve the target. However, be kind to yourself if, at first, you don’t manage to reach your target and lower it slightly.

• Come up with a few milestones and assign badges to them. These can include, for example, “achievement of the target on 5 consecutive days”, then 10, 15, 20, and so on. You can also play with “ranks”, assigning yourself the title of “Chief Dog Walker” after five walks with your pooch, then “Master Chief Dog Walker” after 10, etc. The goal is to group the activities and give you a sense of continuing achievement, summing up the effort put into the set of tasks rather than having each individual job regarded as separate.

• Monitor your performance. If you are a creative type, you may make actual badges for yourself and display them on your wall. However, a tally of points on a notepad or spreadsheet will do just fine. The goal is to allow you to check your progress and motivate yourself against goals you have complete control over.”

Read the full article on Medium

✨Takeaway: Gamification may be a fun way to improve wellness. It can help with well-being, achieving goals and overcoming obstacles. It is a way to find motivation while making it fun!

✨Reflection: Would you try this?

#MentalHealth #Game #Gratification #Well-Being Wellness #Motivation