Over the past year, I’ve been in a personal space of burnout. A lot has happened: I started a new job, moved into a new house, became a mum, dealt with serious illness in my close family. And I lost my dear dog Kiwi and my amazing grandmother Arnhild. But I haven’t given myself the time or space to truly feel or process any of it.
Over the last six months, I’ve started doing some real inner work. I’ve come to understand that what I’ve long believed to be depression — something I thought was the core issue throughout my adult life — is actually overstimulation and overwhelm. I’ve also discovered that I’m a highly sensitive person (HSP), which means I’m more deeply affected by my surroundings than most. Feeling overwhelmed is a really difficult state to be in: there are so many things I want to do — feel I need to do — but I end up frozen, unable to do anything at all. My trauma response, it turns out, is clearly the “freeze” type.
This has also impacted my WoW life. I’ve often felt guilt and shame over the time I spend playing, even though deep down, I know that WoW is my mindfulness — my way of escaping the stress of the real world and letting some ogres take the punches instead. About a year ago, I tried taking a break from WoW. I stopped playing for a while… and I was so unhappy. It felt like I lost a part of myself — a part of my identity. WoW isn’t just a pastime for me; it’s a universe full of amazing stories and rich lore that I love diving into. It’s where I’ve formed some of my closest friendships, and it is a place for me to find and cultivate my creativity.
Dragonflight brought big changes to WoW, making it more solo-player friendly and speeding up content releases. It’s been both a joy and a challenge. I absolutely LOVE that Blizzard now recognizes my style of play — they even gave us a name: outdoor explorers! But all the new content and rewards can feel overwhelming and trigger a sort of FOMO in me.
During these six months of self-development, I’ve made some pretty big changes in my everyday life to help myself live more in the present. I try not to multitask as much anymore — like watching Netflix on my iPad while playing WoW. I’ve started doing yoga every morning before my family wakes up and the daily chaos begins. I’ve removed all social media from my phone and now only check in from my computer. In WoW, I try to be more mindful too: I put on my headset, listen to the incredible in-game music, and allow myself to truly be in Azeroth. I’m also working on letting go of some content and rewards, accepting that I can’t do it all — especially with the way the game has evolved.
Still, I sometimes struggle with focus and interest when it comes to WoW gameplay. I’ve been playing my main, Skadd, since I started playing in 2009. She’s always been my number one! Even during times when I’ve hated playing a shaman, she’s still been my go-to character. That’s just how it is. That said… I LOVE alts. I love creating them, leveling them, and giving them little low-key backstories. The more alt-friendly WoW becomes, the more alts I create. But now I’ve reached a point where I can’t keep up. I can’t even get them all to max level, and there are still so many race/class combos I want to try. And hey — a girl can never have too many hunters, right?
So I’ve decided to focus on one alt at a time. I want to take my time leveling, revisit different zones I love, and just enjoy the journey. I’m planning to make a little series here on my blog, hoping it helps me stay focused on one alt at a time. Of course, I’ll still do current content whenever I feel like it — no pressure, just play.
I have an alt plan!
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