Be a Better Mom: Relax and Play Video Games

Posted on Apr 8 2016 - 12:50am by tweenselmom

Getting enough rest as a mom is one of the most difficult things to accomplish, given all the tasks you need to do in a day. There are the household chores, devoting time to spend with your children, cleaning the house and cooking afterwards, and even working alongside for those work-at-home mommies. In the United States, it has been reported that the number of stay-at-home working moms has risen by 800% since 1860, as featured on a Live Science post. Thus, how can moms get the rest they deserve?

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Photo Credit: Johan Larsson via Compfight cc

The answer is through PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.

Many studies have proven that video games are able to relieve anxiety and stress as well as reduce depression. It’s not only children that need some time to rest and play games, moms who have been working all day also deserve a break in an effort to unwind. According to the information shared by Make Use Of, women have actually caught up in the gaming sphere, which was once dominated by men. Surprisingly, the same study revealed that people 36 years and above is the largest demographic, as the have the resources to purchase the latest game titles and game technologies.

There are games specifically designed to target female audiences, such as the very popular Cleopatra slot gaming title that is just one of Pocketfruity’s array of wonderful games that showcases empowered women in the Ancient Egyptian era and, even in the present day. Other gaming titles also use female-centered movie inspirations to entice women to play more often like Tomb Raider and Wonder Woman titles.

A 2010 study by Texas A&M showed how both men and women who play video games for long periods of time were able to adopt psychological skills necessary in handling stress, making them less depressed and less hostile during pressured situations.

Associate professor Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson of Texas A&M even suggests using games as a form of therapy to help patients in finding a way to “work through their frustrations” in real life.

Thankfully, video games are no longer just available on PC and console platforms; mobile devices allow gamers to access their favorite HD games on their portable smartphones or tablets. The accessibility and portability of mobile devices give moms more opportunities to find time to relax and allow them to de-stress after a long day.

In research by Edison Investment Research, Gaming Realms said that more than 70% of their gamers have made a shift from PC to mobile when accessing their websites. The developer of online and mobile games added that the proliferation of 4G internet made accessing these online games easier via mobile devices, even for moms who only have a few minutes to spare for gaming.

For avid gamers, this information may not be surprising, considering that almost anyone who constantly play games would say that they use it “to relax” or “de-stress.”

Whatever reason you may have for playing video games, you will experience faster recovery from anxiety brought upon by your daily stress just by smashing a few buttons or screen, and realizing that you are able to cope up with pressured situations much better than before. So, don’t forget to unwind and play video games, mommies!