Tamagotchi and mental health

[patitchu]

Hi everyone! ^_^

I started collecting and playing with tamas just a bit ago, after I got a mini and noticed it taking care of them helped with my depression and anxiety issues.

I was wondering if anyone else here had a similar experience.

 

[Hoky]

Thanks for sharing!

I can't say that mine currently have helped me, and I didn't really have any tamagotchis when I was depressed back in college (I still deal with it from time to time, but now it's more that I have a supportive spouse to help me get through it), but I could totally get why they would help. For me, I think it would have been the aspect of having something depend on me that would have meant a lot.

I hope other people read your post and can chime in with their own experiences!

 

[Jhud]

Honestly, with me it's a mix.

I'm autistic and while autism isn't a mental illness (it's a developmental disorder), tamagotchi and vritual pets definitely are up there when it comes to my special interests. I enjoy learning everything about them and owning as many as I can, they genuinely make me super happy. (And on the flip side I get super irrationally angry when I see misinformation about them, lol!)

Now when it comes to depression and anxiety, it's a mixed bag. They do help me with not feeling as alone and it is good to have something that depends on you (though I have a lot of real animals already, haha) and it's nice that you pretty much have a friend you can carry anywhere, as for a real animal it would be too much of a stress. However, due to my depression I also sleep a lot and just often don't feel like doing things, which makes my Tamagotchi suffer pretty often... I rarely get good care characters and I often forget to look at them, and I don't always hear their beeping even if it's right near me. So they either end up dying or being miserable. Sadly if I didn't live with my mom my real animals also would suffer from this.

 

[patitchu]

I know exactly what you mean with the suffering tamas... I do feel some tinge of guilt the days when I can't get myself out of bed early and my tama is starving (or already dead, the vintage ones die so easily ) but I'd say overall the influence is positive.
I also have OCD so the collecting can easily get a little, well, obsessive. But I see it as kind of exposure therapy too. The fact that I have to resist throwing a tama away just because it got a little scratch, or resist buying a particular shell if I don't really like it, even if I don't own that model yet.

 

[Ninomitchi]

I started collecting Tamagotchis this Christmas (I had a V4 back in the day when it was released and I enjoyed the DS Corner Shop games A LOT, so that nostalgia factor was what made me get interested on them again), and since then I’m much happier! I suffer from depression and social anxiety, so I don’t have much friends because I don’t meet much new people. Tamagotchis make me happy because I feel like they rely a lot on me and I feel very happy because its so nice having that feeling that someone needs you, even if its just a virtual being. I have a dog that I take care of, but Tamagotchis make it easier for me and don’t stress me that much because of being non-existent beings, and even if I feel bad when they die, at the end of the day I’m thankful its just a virtual pet and not my real pet. Another thing that makes it so good for me is the fact that I can have lots of cute pets in just one tama, so whenever I get tired of seeing the same one everyday I just marry them and get a new one! Besides, (almost) all of the tama characters are so cute, so they fulfill my necessity of having cute things to look at (both the character and the actual shell help on this). Cute things raise my mood considerably, so its pretty helpful for my daily mood.

 

[TolueneZene]

Hoo boy, tams have always been a huge part of my life, and they're honestly just a huge comfort to me. I've got pretty bad anxiety but knowing that I have one of them near me helps a lot. I tend to get super attached to the little characters on mine and since I worry so much I end up taking a bit too good care of them. I check them way too frequently since I always wanna make sure that theyre ok, but it really is a huge comfort to know that I'm taking good care of them when i get a good care character. One thing I have noticed though is i really hate when someone tells me "its just a toy" or "its not real" or "why would you spend so much money on a toy when you can get the cheap app".. . These little toys are something really special to me and I hate it when people talk about them like they're just a passing novelty. It's just my way of seeing it though, I can understand why some people don't get as attached as I do to them.

 

[pinkbutterflies]

I'm a very anxious person in general. Tamas help me to relax. Running them is soothing and looking at pics of other people's collections and shells is, too. I really love being able to scroll my social media feeds, see everyone being happy about their tamagotchi and post aesthetically pleasing pictures of them. It's all very lighthearted and easy to absorb.

 

[patitchu]

I started collecting Tamagotchis this Christmas (I had a V4 back in the day when it was released and I enjoyed the DS Corner Shop games A LOT, so that nostalgia factor was what made me get interested on them again), and since then I’m much happier! I suffer from depression and social anxiety, so I don’t have much friends because I don’t meet much new people. Tamagotchis make me happy because I feel like they rely a lot on me and I feel very happy because its so nice having that feeling that someone needs you, even if its just a virtual being. I have a dog that I take care of, but Tamagotchis make it easier for me and don’t stress me that much because of being non-existent beings, and even if I feel bad when they die, at the end of the day I’m thankful its just a virtual pet and not my real pet. Another thing that makes it so good for me is the fact that I can have lots of cute pets in just one tama, so whenever I get tired of seeing the same one everyday I just marry them and get a new one! Besides, (almost) all of the tama characters are so cute, so they fulfill my necessity of having cute things to look at (both the character and the actual shell help on this). Cute things raise my mood considerably, so its pretty helpful for my daily mood.

Yeah, I agree that they're probably a stand in for a real pet (I think the fact that they're a separate physical entity that you can carry around and not an app in your phone helps with that feeling). I wish I could have a pet but I can't afford it yet and I'm afraid the depression would make it too hard to take care of it properly Maybe I should try just growing plants/food first...

And of course, having cute stuff around always helps. Right now I can't stop playing with the Gudetama tamagotchi cause it's so adorable...

Right now I'm trying to buy cute cases for all of them and make cute tiny beds so they have a place to sleep.

(Por cierto, saludos de otra española!)

Hoo boy, tams have always been a huge part of my life, and they're honestly just a huge comfort to me. I've got pretty bad anxiety but knowing that I have one of them near me helps a lot. I tend to get super attached to the little characters on mine and since I worry so much I end up taking a bit too good care of them. I check them way too frequently since I always wanna make sure that theyre ok, but it really is a huge comfort to know that I'm taking good care of them when i get a good care character. One thing I have noticed though is i really hate when someone tells me "its just a toy" or "its not real" or "why would you spend so much money on a toy when you can get the cheap app".. . These little toys are something really special to me and I hate it when people talk about them like they're just a passing novelty. It's just my way of seeing it though, I can understand why some people don't get as attached as I do to them.

I get pretty attached to them too. For some reason, it feels really comforting to hold them in one hand when I go to sleep so they often end up sleeping in my bed.

 

[Jhud]

Haha, I remember that as a kid I was so in love with my Music Star I would put it in an easter egg container and put it in a Lion King Simba plush that had an opening on his back just so I could sleep with it without it getting damaged. It did help me a lot too. Plus I would wake up early since this version wakes up quite early to practice music.

 

[TolueneZene]

Oh boy in response to Jhud's post, I was equally as infatuated with my little v4.5 (which was the first tam I ever had), but it's in pretty rough condition from how I treated it. Lots of the paint is chipped and the little star antenna is damaged.. . I was a dumb little kid, but honestly i guess it really shows that even though its been through a lot of wear and tear, it still works even though I loved it to death.

 

[patitchu]

Oh boy in response to Jhud's post, I was equally as infatuated with my little v4.5 (which was the first tam I ever had), but it's in pretty rough condition from how I treated it. Lots of the paint is chipped and the little star antenna is damaged.. . I was a dumb little kid, but honestly i guess it really shows that even though its been through a lot of wear and tear, it still works even though I loved it to death.

Hahahaha, ahhh... tamagotchis. The Nokias of the virtual pet world!

 

[Iza]

I have anxiety issues too and I'm on antidepressants which I'm trying to slowly cut off... I have found tamagotchis to help, just a bit. But mostly they help with everyday stress, like exams etc. When I'm studying and I see them next to me bounching around, they calm me down.

 

[rose_captain]

YES! They have helped me tremendously. When my anxiety gets bad I go into flight mode but I have noticed Tamagotchis ground me. I guess its because I feel needed? Another thing Tamagotchis have helped me with is the loss of my dog. She passed 2 1/2 years ago. I had her for 13 years from childhood to adulthood and she was my family. Tamagotchis have helped because 2 1/2 years later I still cant bring myself to get a new pet. But my little Tama babies mean the world to me<3 Has anyone else had a similar expirience?

 

[kuchikid]

I don't have depression, but I have anxiety. Tamagotchis have sometimes made me more anxious, but never less. I have, on several occasions, turned off my Tamagotchis and put them away for several days or weeks.

I think this might be because a large part of my anxiety manifests in feelings of inadequacy and, at its height, I don't want an extra responsibility to worry about failing. I've not discussed Tamagotchis with any mental health professional, though.

 

[Jhud]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Tamagotchis can make my anxiety worse too. I'm running a Music Star right now and it feels like a chore because I DON'T want to not get a pro debut or at least not raise 999 points anywhere before it's time for a new generation, because I'd feel like I failed and the second generation will be hard. Music Star is fun but it's really not good for the periods where my anxiety is bad.

 

[TheYatagarasu]

I'm a Certified Anxious Wreck 24/7 and Tamas help keep me sane. Caring for anything (my real pets, my house plants, my virtual pets...) really helps keep my anxiety down and stops all those negative thoughts from swirling around in my head.

I can't haul my cats to the research lab with me (darn) but I always have a "Therapy Tamagotchi" on my person - scientific research can be hard for me because I often have to wait for hours, sometimes days, between beginning an experiment and seeing the results, and I find that period to be ABSOLUTE TORTURE if I don't have something to keep me mentally occupied.

 

[debibu]

I go through bouts of bad depression and anxiety, as well as learning to deal with the news that I'm also apparently autistic (yay for adult diagnoses). I'm so thankful to have my tamas - they're like cute little friends that can come with me anywhere.

I find that during my worse times, tamas are useful because they help me keep a bit of a routine of at least getting out of bed at a regular time or being around for when they leave school/job for the newer ones. I also play with them as a reward for sticking out reading, studying or working for a certain amount of time.

Mostly, they give me something to focus on to distract me from myself. Since I also collect the Tamatomos and official guide books, I find trying to learn how to read Japanese also a useful distraction.

 

[Susan Winterwall]

Me! I felt exactly the same, it's such a powerful tool

 

[Rorys_Tamas]

I'm a Certified Anxious Wreck 24/7 and Tamas help keep me sane. Caring for anything (my real pets, my house plants, my virtual pets...) really helps keep my anxiety down and stops all those negative thoughts from swirling around in my head.

I can't haul my cats to the research lab with me (darn) but I always have a "Therapy Tamagotchi" on my person - scientific research can be hard for me because I often have to wait for hours, sometimes days, between beginning an experiment and seeing the results, and I find that period to be ABSOLUTE TORTURE if I don't have something to keep me mentally occupied.

I feel yeah.... There is nothing like waiting all week to find out if your experiment worked or not and as much as I would love to bring my fluffy cat to the lab with me he would hate it, he would get fur everywhere and just being in the lab could ruin all of my research but no one can blame my collection of pixels for a gel not running, or a PCR not working or science hating me for weeks on end -- it gets really hard to be motivated when nothing works the waiting gets even worse. (side note you would absolutely loathe and hate how my masters went then in a couple hours is torture)

And I also agree they do cut down on my millions of thoughts (the bad, the mean, the what if I die, a tree falls on me that car hits me.. I fall on the ice too hard, and so on) they don't get rid of those thoughts all the way but they do help (especially when the thoughts get real bad).

I love that you can them a "therapy Tamagotchi" I might have to use that one

 

[Ragdoll]

It's very intriguing to see that there are other people too who experience the same! I have suffered from anxiety for years now (also depression in past, but not currently).

Taking care of Tamagotchis seem to have a very soothing effect on me. It gives me something nice and safe to think about when I'm feeling bad.

Also, all the little daily surprises in Tamagotchis (such as evolving, trying out new items, getting mail etc.) are always something that makes my day a little bit.

Therefore I carry them in my pocket to literally everywhere.