Gamer Discovers 'Sims 4' Tips for Helping Sims Get Through Burnout Actually Work on Humans, Too

As it turns out, video games aren't just great for entertainment and stress relief — they can teach you things, too! Just ask one gamer who goes by the thematically appropriate moniker of "Stressica" online, who recently learned some helpful mental health tips from The Sims 4, of all places.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Stressica revealed to her followers that, for several years now, she has been following The Sims 4's tips for how to get rid of the burnout moodlet for your Sims, using them to relieve her own mental stress. And it's working!

Let's take a look.

Burnout is a feature that was added to The Sims 4 with the introduction of the "Growing Together" expansion pack in 2023 — and just like in real life, burnout can occur when your Sim focuses on one task for too long, such as building a Skill, working on their career, parenting their kids, and more.

Luckily, there are simple ways to combat burnout in The Sims 4 — and X user Stressica discovered that they work for real people, as well.

In her post on the platform, she said, "One time, I had to look up how to deal with Sims having burnout ... I've kept a screenshot of the tips and have been using them on myself and have finally started to get control over my burnout that's goin' on two years now."

She then shared a screenshot of the tips, which included having your Sims perform relaxing activities such as lounging in lounge chairs, taking bubble baths, drinking tea, and more.

She also shared an additional word of wisdom from The Sims that she has since taken to heart in her own life: "Sims experiencing mental burnout need to find creative outlets. Sims experiencing creative burnout require mental challenges."

Though Stressica originally shared that she was embarrassed by her gaming-focused life hack, other users in the comments have been supportive of her shift in perspective.

"This isn’t humiliating," one said. "You being able to extrapolate your own potential Sim character burnout scenario to yourself is a component of how gaming has been able to improve your life."

Another user agreed, "The mental challenges make so much sense to me. As a burned-out creative, I swear I find it so relaxing to play Sudoku, nonograms, or any logic game. I crave them, I don’t know how it works but it’s relaxing somehow!"

Essentially, the bottom line is that, in order to avoid or get rid of burnout, you need to do something that relaxes you and stimulates your mind — whether that be playing games, spending time with your loved ones, dancing, or getting a massage.

And if you're looking for mental health advice and you're not sure where to turn, maybe next time, boot up your favorite cozy video game. You might learn a thing or two.