The original goal of every game is to prepare its players for real life, teach them something useful, and improve their mental condition and mental health. Since that milestone of humankind when people have had more free time and the productivity of the game industry have accelerated, the number of the silly, sometimes brain- and soul-killer types of games has risen, making for the games a generally bad reputation. When in 2003, the first actual escape rooms appeared, it was thought: “Another stupid hit madness among the youth. In the last almost twenty years, escape rooms have managed to prove the opposite. Today, they have been considered a mind-boggling challenge with mental health effects in the most positive sense. Until somebody doesn’t try them, they are doubtful about this statement. We have collected the most relevant mental health benefits of playing escape games. Please, don’t believe them! Let’s go to an escape room and experience them!
Out of your comfort zone!
Comfort zone is that psychological territory within; you feel safe and warm: no stress, no harm, no strange, unknown elements. Inside this zone, you act with confidence, without any significant effort.
As soon as this defending bubble bursts out, we get into the real world where we should face unfriendly people and situations, our fears and phobias, risk and inconveniences inducing stress inside us. However, in our comfort zone, we can live quite relaxed lives. To remain mentally active, these new impulses are needed as essential parts of our mental health. Therefore, out of the comfort zone, the magic happens, bringing about a wide range of positives, exciting experiences.
As you step into an escape room, you enter another world that is supposed to be new for you, so you should adapt yourself to that and to other unexpected cases waiting for you there to be able to “survive”. Adaptability keeps us mentally active: we have to rearrange and creatively form new plans; this skill is vital in mental health maintenance.
The inconveniences of the escape rooms raise your stress level, waking up your sleeping abilities and skills. You will realize how gifted you are and that those “giant” missions can quickly be sorted out. Your brain will be forced to work more effectively, at full potential. A beneficial byproduct of this kind of brain training is our strengthening mental health. The more effective and useful we feel, the more positive feelings and satisfaction are released inside us.
Followed by an adventurous time in the escape room, your attitude to the duties, obligations and unexpected, strange situations will change, improving your adaptability, stress resistance, and stress-tackling skills. That means a more relaxed, but not boring, dynamic balance for our life. Living totally without stress or being pushed down by too much pressure could negatively affect our mental health.
Fears and phobias
Out of the comfort zone, our fears and phobias are more active, restricting our life, abilities, and capacity, raising our negative stress level that is not supported for our mental health. Big fears and phobias are too tight breaks in the flow of our life. However, our patrons defend us from irresponsible decisions and acts; they are as essential as the water to survive. In contrary to them, phobias and giant fears work as too much water: they suffocate us.
Playing escape games, it is unavoidable to meet with them. Use this safe, reality-simulator to understand their message and benefit from them for your mental health. You should not tackle your fears; just realize their roots. While carrying out significant efforts to find the way out within an escape room, this fear-solving process is running in the background.
Broaden your horizons
You are out of your comfort zone in escape rooms, meaning that you can see more than the borders and walls of the “safety bulb”. Seeing more brings about more pieces of information, broadening your horizons. The more you know, the more detailed and colorful your life is. Moreover, the more mentally active, are, the more mentally healthy you are. Learning your unknown skills and abilities opens new perspectives leading you to your real-life goals.
Challenge your mind and soul by playing escape games, broaden your horizons, and learn yourself deeper and deeper, improving your mental health, room by room.
The power of the unity
Last but not least, escape games require teamwork. Groups of 6-10 should play inside a single room, working together on the most mind-boggling puzzles. What is this, if not a psychological, a real mental-health challenge? The playmates are supposed to support each other, bringing forward the solving process. If the members would like to be the only heroes, the possibility of finding the exit is shrinking. Selfish heroism results in chaos, unnecessary offenses against our mental health, and unproductivity.
In contrary to these unpleasant consequences, teamwork brings out the best from every player, enhancing each other’s creativity, problem-solving, stress-tackling, opportunity-realizing abilities, and mental health. More brains can think more over the same duration of time. Cooperation requires patient, respect, openness, understanding, consensus-making, and compromising abilities towards each other.
However, it is just a game; escape rooms seem to be more like a psychological self-learning, skill- and ability-developing, cooperative, phobia-overcoming, mental health-improving therapy. Don’t you believe it? You are right! Don’t believe it; taste it at American Escape Rooms!
