From Daydreaming to Flow: How TTRPG Became My Mind Playground

After I moved to Germany, my wife and I found ourselves with much more free time.
We try not to watch Netflix or scroll on our phones in the evening, which leaves us with more energy to focus on other things, or simply leave some blank space for ourselves.

In these quiet evenings, I’ve formed a new habit: TTRPG.
For those who don’t know, that’s Tabletop Role-Playing Game. The most famous and influential one is, of course, Dungeons & Dragons. You can think of it as a video RPG, but the story, the actions, the combat, the adventures, all of it happens only in your imagination.

I had heard about it and wanted to try for years, but I never found the time or energy.
Recently, I finally picked it up and gave it a try.
And I love it!

Since when, I realized I had stopped daydreaming.
I used to have so many stories, monsters, and adventures running through my head all day long.
I can sit in the classroom, and go through every story all day long.
Working in the creative industry, I wanted that ability back, but daydreaming had become a luxury in a life fully scheduled.

Just in the past few days, TTRPG has helped me imagine again!
It takes real mental energy to focus, to develop stories, to picture dialogue, combat, and even the jokes told by the characters.
But in this state, I find so much fun in my own mind.
I go into a kind of flow state, where I’m deeply engaged, enjoying myself, and time just flies.

It feels like a period where I can focus, daydream, and have fun all at once.
And honestly, I think you need a mindful state to enjoy the game, because it’s hard to imagine an epic adventure while worrying about tomorrow’s meeting.

So here’s my little share: TTRPG has become my new mind playground.

P.S. For anyone interested, I’m using Shadowdark as my main playing system. It’s simple, fast-paced, and intuitive. Shadowdark even has solo play, and you can download the PDF guide for free.