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Bloom Or doom

Writer's picture: Sandhya GokalSandhya Gokal


Stardew Valley meets Health Habits


Stardew Valley is the game of choice at the moment. I started playing the day I got my beautiful shiny new gaming laptop - a choice that often obstructs my progress on my business. But more on that later!


Stardew Valley is a farming role playing game (RPG) that combines the graphics of Pokemon with the calming activities of an Animal Crossing type game. I chose to play this because the stress of choosing a laptop got me feeling physically sick - so many to choose from! - and I wanted a game that was both easy to play and not mentally draining. 


In this blog post, we will talk about:


  • How Stardew Valley parallels health habits

  • How to use what you learn in the game in real life examples

  • What happens when you meet the wizard


STEP 1: The Starting point


When I first opened the game, and created my character which was a fun little experience with lots of customisation options, I awoke in a room with a table, a fireplace, a TV and a pot plant. There weren’t any instructions on what to do next. I wandered around the farm for a bit, explored the town, but had no real direction as to what to do to move forward in the game. 




This is apparently quite common, as the real action of the game starts on “day 2” (you advance the days throughout the game by sleeping for the night)


It was hard to get into initially for this reason! I had no idea what to do, and for the first 20 minutes was getting more and more frustrated by the lack of instruction. Of course, since we live in a world of information, I quickly searched Google and Reddit to discover what to do next. But those first 20 minutes were extremely irritating. I almost quit the game, due to an overwhelming sense of confusion.


IN REAL LIFE


When you set a goal and the initial excitement of decision-making wears off, it can be overwhelming. Unless you are venturing into an area where you have experience, it can seem like there is no guidance and you have to figure everything out for yourself! This makes the BARRIER TO ENTRY high.



The higher the barrier to entry, the more likely you are to quit. This is an important point to note, because conversely, if you can break a hole in the barrier to entry, you have much more chance  of succeeding! 


Let’s look at an example.


Tina, a 33 year old woman with an infant crawling around her, wants to start exercising again. Before her child, she had a relatively sedentary life and the most she exercised was a daily walk. In her early 20’s she had been part of a gym and had a relatively high level of fitness. But as the years passed, her fitness levels declined and she got into comfortable habits that unfortunately didn’t promise a high level of health. 


Tina wants to start exercising 5 days a week, to lose that last bit of baby weight, as well as become more fit so that she can enjoy her time with her active baby without feeling exhausted by the end of the day. 


But Tina doesn’t know where to start! Does she join a gym? If she joins a gym, does the gym have creche? If it doesn’t have a creche (a babysitting facility) then what does she do with little baby Wyatt? And if all those problems were solved, when she goes to the gym, how can she look competent since it has been more than 10 years since she had any solid exercise routine?


These questions get too overwhelming, and it becomes too hard. Tina abandons the idea of exercising. But there is a current of unease running in the back of her mind, swirling through eddies of mum guilt for not being a great role model for her child. 


As you can see in the example above, there are at least 5 visible barrier to entry to the healthy habits Tina wants to create. 


If Tina was able to solve break through even one of these barriers, the entry into the world of exercise would become infinitely easier. For example, if her partner encouraged her to go to the gym on a Saturday morning, where babysitting was not an issue. Or if she could follow a exercise routine on Youtube that suited her level of fitness and skills within the time she could allocate for her exercise


So, as you can see, breaking down the barriers to entry for the health habit is like raising the portcullis of the keep and allowing your inner warrior to break free


STEP 2 - use the tools you have


In Stardew Valley, you start with 4 tools and a watering can. As soon as you walk outside your abode, you can see that the garden of your farm needs some serious work! 



So the first thing you can do, without any instruction, is to use the tools you have - a hoe, a pickaxe, an axe, and a scythe - and clear some space in the area around your house. They are very easy to use as well! As you progress through the game, you can upgrade your tools, and you receive new tools and weapons to utilise. But at the beginning, using the tools you have is a great way to make progress.


IN REAL LIFE


In NLP, there is a presupposition that every person has the resources they need to achieve the goals they aim for. They may not have immediate access to their resources, but they exist within their realm of reach.


At a base level, when a goal is set, there are usually resources that can be used straight off the bat! Utilising these can be a great way to increase motivation initially, and set the foundation for climbing the mountain of the goal on the way to becoming proficient.


Let’s look at an example.


Jay has an erratic sleep schedule. He sleeps at different times each day, resulting in different wake up times and different levels of energy each day. He decides that to become more efficient and create a routine, the first thing he needs to tackle are his sleep habits. 


Jay has never done this before! His foray into freedom upon moving out of home removed the rules and restrictions around sleep, and for 5 years, his sleep patterns have been dictated by his nighttime activities which vary from watching Netflix shows to going out for dinner and drinks with friends. 


So he looks at the immediate changes he can make to improve his sleep. The resources he has are:

- his wearable device which tracks his sleep

- his phone as an alarm clock

- a big bathtub and a love of tea.

- the knowledge that a sleep routine should start 30 minutes to 1 hour before actually sleeping.

- information around blue screens and how they impact sleep. 


The obstacles he knows he will encounter are a TV in his room allowing for easy access to Netflix, and a penchant for an agitated mind immediately before bed.


So he decides to use all these resources to create an enjoyable nighttime routine. First he puts his phone on charge in one corner of the room, not accessible from his bed, 1 hour before his designated sleep time. He makes sure the alarm is set for the time he wants to awaken.


He makes a cup of tea and sips it slowly, with no distractions. After this, he fills his bathtub and takes a book in for entertainment, relaxing into the warm water and feeling his muscles loosen. 


Leaving the bath, he gets ready for bed, making sure he puts his wearable device on so that he can track his sleep in order to make any adjustments to his routine. 


As you can see in this example, Jay has made a routine that uses the resources he already has, to create a routine that promotes relaxation and mindfulness. It is easy to overcomplicate such routines by adding in elements that are not easily available from the outset. For example, Jay could have said “I want to have a magnesium salt bath,” and then, not having magnesium salts, become dispirited and decided to forgo the bath, depriving him of a great relaxation technique.


By using the resources he has ON HAND, he is able to start creating his habits straight away, with the plan of upgrading the routine as time and resources permit!



STEP 3: Talk to the experts




The first activity you have to undertake in Stardew Valley is to introduce yourself to 28 people in town as the new farmer of Holdsville Farm. Each character has a name and occupation, and you can build social connections with other characters by giving gifts, talking to them, gleaning their interests and doing favours and quests for them. In exchange, other characters will often give information that moves your character forward in the game! Willy gives you a fishing rod which allows you to get money more quickly. Robin the carpenter explains how to upgrade your house. Clint the blacksmith explains how to build a forge so as to smelt your own metal! (I always wanted to try glass blowing, so hopefully that comes up in the game sometime too!)


By creating a social circle, the knowledge you have at your disposal increases and your ability to make rapid progress becomes exponential. 


IN REAL LIFE


By talking to experts in the field in which your goal lies, you have the ability to turbo-charge your goal. In this day and age, it is so easy to contact experts in a field, through social media, websites, and even just email! 


Finding a mentor whose expertise you can harness means your goal becomes much more single pointed. You will no longer be experimenting with ideas and actions that may or may not move you towards your destination. Instead you will be able to curate a series of steps that are laser-focused and put you directly on the path to success. 


Let’s look at an example. 


After years of eating on the go and consuming whatever was in front of her, Ash wants to start eating based on her body type, her metabolism and to put the right nutrients into her body to increase her energy levels. She knows the basics - eat more protein, eat more vegetables and reduce her intake of processed foods - but she wants to have success from the get go without having to experience failure. Ash has enough prior experience to know that if she feels like she is failing, she will discontinue her plan.


So she decides to visit a dietitian to help her curate a plan to her exact specifications. 


Together with the dietitian they create an eating plan for her, full of the foods that she enjoys. Ash is thrilled! A lot of foods on her plan were things she thought she might have to limit or give up altogether, so by talking to a dietitian, she alleviates a lot of uncertainty and resistance she has. 


Ash knows that she will have success because the lifestyle change she is making does not involve restriction, and there is a much higher chance that she will stick to the recommendations because she was involved in the process.


As you can see in the above example, by talking to an expert in the field of food, Ash’s chance of reaching her goal has increased tenfold. If Ash had attempted to create the dietary plan on her own, her chances of success would be reduced simply because of the amount of experimentation required to know exactly what would work for her. 


Of course, you can also hire a coach, who has expertise in your area of improvement. For example, you could hire a pharmacist and health coach who knows how to turn health habits fun so they become superpowers, and has 12 years experience in the health industry. (That’s me by the way 😂). 



Step 4: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT


The age old adage. A cliche for a reason. 

Fishing is an activity that has vast benefits in Stardew Valley. You can eat the fish for energy. You can sell the fish for money. You sometimes fish out seaweed or algae, ingredients to create other products and snacks. Some side quests require you to deliver specific fish to other characters who have a craving for them! 


But Oh. My. Gosh. Learning to fish in the beginning is so hard. To catch a fish, you have to keep a green bar on a fish that is moving up and down, sometimes so fast it seems impossible! I caught 20 fish that slipped through my grasp before I got the knack of it. Even then, in the beginning stages I could only catch sardines, fish that didn’t move that much.


As I continued playing, I became much more proficient at moving the green bar steadily and keeping up with the movement of the fish. It took practice and soon my skill level increased to match the jump level of the fish. 


This is true of any game! In Pokemon, you need to battle quite a few pokemon to level your party up. If you don’t put in the time and effort for this, chances are when faced with another Pokemon trainer, your pokemon will all faint. But as time goes on, you become a much more experienced trainer and can send out the pokemon with the best chance of survival.


IN REAL LIFE:


By practicing your health habits on a regular basis, you increase your experience, proficiency and mastery. The more squats you do, the better your form will be, the deeper you can go into the squat and the stronger your gluteal muscles will be. The more you get to bed at 9pm, the easier it will be for your routine to slot into place and the faster you will be able to quieten your mind to rest. 


Let’s look at an example.


JD has always wanted to play the violin. But the idea of starting at the age of 34 is terrifying to him. He thinks, I’m never going to be great. I’m too old. I don’t want to look like a fool. So he puts it off time and time again. 


One day, he notices an ad for a violin teacher and decides to take the plunge. 


He goes to the lesson, picks up the violin….and he’s terrible. The bow makes screechy sounds on the strings, he cringes at his progress, and he notices that the violin teacher’s fingers are clenched on the chair, even as she nods encouragingly. 


JD has 2 choices. He can either give up, and put this in the basket of things he wishes he had done better, or he can persevere. 


JD decides to persevere. After all, this has been a lifelong dream, and although he sounded terrible and his technique and positioning was wrong, something inside him sparked and smiled when he picked up the violin for the first time. 


His second lesson is marginally better than the first. His teacher notices the improvement and compliments him on his progress, stating that if he keeps going, he will see his skills improving in leaps and bounds. His confidence level increases, and in his mind he thinks, “I can do this! If i just focus on the basics and keep practicing. I want to see how far I can go.”


So he keeps at it.


12 months later, JD is standing in front of the crowd, nervously plucking at his violin strings, ready to play his first recital. As he looks through the backstage curtains to the audience murmuring, he reflects back on the ad that sparked his journey. One wobbly step brought him a whole new level of confidence. 


Of course this story is fictional. However, the storyline has played out over and over again. 


I contemplated figure skating for 5 years before starting, always putting it off because I was too unfit, too rigid, it was too expensive and I didn’t have enough time to start. 


But when I started, got a coach and began my figure skating journey, I was amazed at the mental peace I experienced.


I had an exponential rise in confidence that spilled over into all areas of my life! I was so invested in being a figure skater, I became more flexible, I added incidental exercise to my daily routine any way I could, and yes, I was that crazy lady who would practice jumps while waiting for coffee. 


At the time of writing, I have successfully spun, jumped and experienced what it is like to skate in a synchronised skating team. 


Never underestimate the amount of progress you can make just through enthusiasm and practice. At the very least, you will be better than yesterday’s self. And that is something that should be celebrated loudly and often.


Step 5 and Beyond: THE BORING BIT.


Once you’ve mastered the basics of Stardew Valley, then the real challenge comes. Of course, Stardew Valley’s game developers have worked incredibly hard to keep you entertained, nay, hooked! You get to do challenges, make social connections with the other characters and go on side quests outside of building and growing your farm. 


In real life, this is the hardest bit. In the game of life, YOU are the game developer of your own life. Which means the responsibility of the fun and enjoyment falls upon your shoulders. The quest for laughter can be done spontaneously, free and flowing. Else it can be controlled by curating a life filled with the habits you carefully choose and perform on a daily basis, creating an underlying joy of knowing that you are living your best life. 


Thus, we come to the boring bit - CONSISTENCY. 


Being consistent means doing the thing you say you are going to do, no matter what obstacles come your way. It comes hand in hand with self-discipline.


But never fear! There are ways to make consistency fun.


  1. Create challenges. With yourself, with your friends, with strangers on facebook (I have a group called Cracking the consistency code where you can find great people with similar goals, check it out here!) The goal is to be better than yesterday

  2. Have a Star sheet. Remember how proud you felt when you achieved gold stars in school? If you’re a gamer, remember what it feels like to win a challenge with 3 stars?? Recreate that feeling. I have a free template you can use here

  3. Be cheeky! Find ways to incorporate your healthy habits into your day to day routine. I know of one client who would do wall-pushups everytime she went to the bathroom! I have done squats while filling stock, lunges during quiet times at work and calf exercises while standing at traffic lights. Create situations where you smile knowing you have just hacked the system.

  4. Be mindful and present. Putting your whole attention on the thing you are doing increases your chance of experiencing a flow state. If you want to be serious about adding a healthy habit in, be wholly mindful during the activity until it becomes routine. 


So there you have it! 


Are you going to BLOOM? 

Or are you going to experience DOOM?


The choice. Is. Yours.


Hit reply and let me know your thoughts! Have you tried any of these techniques? Have you stumbled on one of them in particular? Do you have any others to add? Or have you played Stardew Valley and become hooked on building your farm? 





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