SuperBetter Game

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I am looking forward to some quiet, alone time and trying to get back into some of my usual routines now that this difficult summer is coming to an end.

One thing I like to do just for myself when I wake up earlier than the rest of the family on a Saturday or Sunday is to watch a TED talk. I look for something inspiring or interesting or funny. I have a hard time taking time out of being productive to just take care of myself, and watching one of these talks always perks me up and inspires me (here is one of my past favorite TED talks that I wrote about here).

The TED talk I found this morning surprised me. It seemed to be about video games - which I really don't play, other than a little Words with Friends with my family - but I was intrigued that it was in a playlist of "TED's quirkiest talks that pulled in millions of views." Well, it turns out that this talk is actually directly applicable to those of us living with chronic illness!

When the speaker suffered a serious concussion with year-long severe effects, she developed a game for herself to try to pull herself out of depression and stop the suicidal thoughts she was having. Eventually, that game became SuperBetter, a real game that is now available online or as an app.

It's MUCH better when she explains it herself - it is a short talk and is very entertaining (and fascinating), so take a look for yourself:



Basically, her game takes a fun approach to improving your physical, mental, emotional, and social resilience, and she has LOTS of scientific studies to back up the theories here. And the tasks to complete are super-easy, even for someone who is bedridden. I already feel better!

If you are intrigued like I am, check out her game SuperBetter.

Hope you have a great weekend! Take some time out for yourself.