Apps, games, and puzzles to help cope with anxiety

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I just posted this in another member's blog and thought it might be worthwhile to share with everyone. I think I have mentioned this in the Valium support group but never in its own thread.

 

Try some happiness apps on your phone like Happify. These work to change your negativity bias (we all have that, a tendency to notice the bad instead of the good). Playing the Uplift game within that app, with hot air balloons with positive and negative words, where you click on the positive ones and ignore the negative ones, helped me learn to ignore my painful withdrawal symptoms and seek out the positive feelings in my day.

 

There is also research that says that playing problem-solving games like Tetris or doing jigsaw puzzles helps rewire your brain in the same way. When I was at my worst with Ativan, I'd put together jigsaw puzzles on my phone every night before sleep. You can't think about problems while you're placing puzzle pieces. Distract, distract, distract. Focus on the good.

 

Hope this is helpful information for others!

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I did a lot of point-and-click games while tapering. Really kept my mind off things.

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What distracts me is competitive video games. I don't know if everyone relates to this, but when I get competitive, I forget I have arms and legs, much less anxiety! Ha