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How I Solved My ADHD Game Playing Addiction

Smartphone games help me turn off my brain.

Nancy Oglesby
3 min readDec 27, 2022
Image from Canva Pro

Turning off my brain is a challenge. It requires enough activity to keep me occupied while not requiring my brain to actually think. I’m not sure this will resonate with someone who doesn’t have ADHD.

Advantages and Disadvantages

For example, most people can sit and watch a television show and achieve that mind-numbing rest. For me, the television show leaves plenty of space for my brain to seek other stimulation. A game app, whether it’s classic solitaire or a game like Bejeweled, will provide background stimulation allowing my brain to relax.

The beauty of a game app is that my brain is chill … totally content.

The disadvantage is that hyper focus kicks in and I’m officially lost in time. I sit for hours rather than minutes. Setting timers has a minimal effect. It’s pretty easy to say, “Alexa, snooze for fifteen minutes.” Eventually, I’m overtaken by exhaustion, and I stop.

That kind of hyper focus is a hallmark of ADHD, but sitting for extended periods, without a break, is not a recipe for good health. ¹ And, sitting for hours glued to a smartphone isn’t how experts recommend you prepare for a good…

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Nancy Oglesby
Nancy Oglesby

Written by Nancy Oglesby

I explore life and tell stories! Embracing the world of Drabbles. Publisher of Fiction Shorts, the Challenged, and Another Fucking Publication

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