fortunatolf
Rising Star
Bronze Level
Hi everyone in the CardsChat community,
I have to admit, I thought quite a bit before posting this because it's pretty personal. But I feel like sometimes, sharing our struggles can connect us in a different way. I want to tell you a little about how poker, kind of unexpectedly, gave me a helping hand during a really heavy period of depression I went through.
The Usual (and Most Important) Disclaimer: Let me repeat this so there's no mistake: poker is NOT a cure for depression. Period. Depression is serious stuff, and getting help from qualified professionals (therapists, doctors) is FUNDAMENTAL. What I'm sharing here is just my story, a piece of it.
How Poker Helped Me Catch My Breath:
When the tide was really low, with that heavy feeling and lack of color in everything, poker gave me a few pushes:
I know I'm not the only one who has gone (or is going) through tough times. Maybe poker, or some other hobby, another passion, has also been a positive crutch, a focus, an escape valve for someone else here.
If you feel comfortable and want to share, I'd love to read other stories about how you used poker (or another activity) as a tool to cope with difficult phases. Absolutely no pressure, of course, it's just an open invitation. Sometimes, just knowing other people understand what we go through is a huge relief in itself.
Anyway, that's it. Just a piece of my journey. I hope it might help someone, even if it's just to feel less alone.
Take care, everyone.
Warm regards, @fortunatolf
I have to admit, I thought quite a bit before posting this because it's pretty personal. But I feel like sometimes, sharing our struggles can connect us in a different way. I want to tell you a little about how poker, kind of unexpectedly, gave me a helping hand during a really heavy period of depression I went through.
The Usual (and Most Important) Disclaimer: Let me repeat this so there's no mistake: poker is NOT a cure for depression. Period. Depression is serious stuff, and getting help from qualified professionals (therapists, doctors) is FUNDAMENTAL. What I'm sharing here is just my story, a piece of it.
How Poker Helped Me Catch My Breath:
When the tide was really low, with that heavy feeling and lack of color in everything, poker gave me a few pushes:
- Escape from the "Gray Cloud": The game's complexity forced me to focus. Thinking about hands, ranges, decisions... it was almost therapeutic to have something demand 100% of my attention and pull me, even if just for a few hours, out of that loop of bad thoughts.
- A Drop of Order in the Chaos: Having to set a time to play a bit or study a simple concept gave me a micro-structure for the day. It might seem small, but it made a difference in not letting the day just "disappear".
- Joy in Small Victories: Every new concept I understood, every hand I played a little better than before, every little "aha!" moment in study... it was a personal win at a time when I felt stuck. That genuinely helped.
- Feeling Control (However Minimal): Making decisions at the table, even small ones, gave me a sense of control over something, during a period where I felt totally adrift emotionally.
- Not Being Totally Alone: Reading you guys here on the forum, seeing the discussions, even without always participating, reminded me there was a world out there with people sharing similar interests. It lessened that feeling of complete isolation a bit.
I know I'm not the only one who has gone (or is going) through tough times. Maybe poker, or some other hobby, another passion, has also been a positive crutch, a focus, an escape valve for someone else here.
If you feel comfortable and want to share, I'd love to read other stories about how you used poker (or another activity) as a tool to cope with difficult phases. Absolutely no pressure, of course, it's just an open invitation. Sometimes, just knowing other people understand what we go through is a huge relief in itself.
Anyway, that's it. Just a piece of my journey. I hope it might help someone, even if it's just to feel less alone.
Take care, everyone.
Warm regards, @fortunatolf
