Can Candy Crush™ help with anxiety? Mindlessness vs Mindfulness
My heart races as the subtle movement of my index finger causes a mirage of colours to come crashing down. I feel a surge of serotonin tingle up from my fingertips to my face as I witness the depiction of a real life Skittles rainbow. I hear the echos of a cheering crowd as positive affirmations flash on the screen.
I’ve just completed a nightmarishly hard level on Candy Crush™.
As a small smile curls at the edges of my mouth, I catch the eyes of another morning-commuter. The warm fuzzy feeling suddenly stops, solidifies and crumbles. I’ve been caught. The waves of happiness are now replaced with harsh realities of shame. Like a spouse with a fleeting affair, I feel the metaphorical equivalent of being caught red handed. Except this guilty pleasure is somewhat pathetic.
I’m on level 3297 and I’m not proud of it.
(Oosh is that what an AA meeting feels like?)
I’ve been having and on-off relationship with the sweet-swiping app since my teens and I’m undecided whether or not this relationship is an unhealthy one.
For some context, I’m blessed with an anxious mind. My brain is almost always on turbo-mode steam-rolling through an abundance of thoughts from “What does this email mean? Why didn’t they say hello this morning?” all the way to “Am I an entitled millennial? What if I slip and fall in front of the Victoria line tube going southbound to Brixton?”. They’re called intrusive thoughts. They usually mean nothing, generally I’m a very happy person but I have this constant internal narrative that is pretty exhausting.
But it’s not all doom and gloom as I’m big into my self-help and mental health. I read many a blog, watch many a Ted talk and follow many a thought-leader on the topic. From them I’ve learnt different ways to deal with high-functioning anxiety. And the topic that comes up over and over again? Mindfulness.
Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier, defines mindfulness as where you learn to see what’s happening in your head right now, clearly, so that you don’t get yanked around by it. It’s about being present in the moment, understanding what’s going on around you and being blissfully aware of everything in the now. There are many ways to practice mindfulness and the benefits are plentiful, however, the point I want to touch on here is with its’ antonym; mindlessness.
Can mindless activities such as swiping questionable illustrations of sweeties be as beneficiary to our mental state as mindfulness? Jordan Raskopoulous’ Ted talk sparked a sense of resonance with me as she mentioned that playing strategic games helps busy her mind and tune out her internal narrative. However, meditation gurus counter that argument saying these mindless activities are just numbing the problem not solving it when it comes to mental health.
Personally, I’m torn. On one hand, naturally, I’m a little embarrassed to be puzzling about with jellybeans and liquorice swirls, when my peers are using their spare time to start a side hustle or learn Japanese or something equally impressive. But then on the other hand (my “angel’s advocate” if you will), I do find the stupidly silly game relaxing. I don’t sit and ponder about all the embarrassing moments of my life or what every person I’ve ever met thinks of me. In that moment I’m just unwinding and thinking about where to place my next liquorice swirl. Admittedly, it would be great if I found a pastime that was both relaxing and productive but sometimes we just need to relax for relaxings sake. Can Candy Crush™ indirectly make me more productive? I’m saving energy by being less anxious and in turn am ready to apply my “present” mind to the task ahead (a.k.a my job). Should we be made to feel guilty about pointless pastimes or is the fact that they are pointless what makes them actually valuable to our mental health?
Overall, I’m undecided. I know there’s a happy medium between nipping to the toilet for another fix of the candy goodness and going complete cold turkey. Has the boom of mindfulness overlooked the understated power of mindlessness? And do the two compliment or contradict each other? Who knew that a simple animated puzzle could actually lead to such a philosophical question about what’s best for our minds and lives.
What do you think? Have you found that mindless activities help or hinder your mental state? Let me know in the comments below.
