[4-Panel Comic + Essay] The Game That Got My Brain Moving Again During My Leave of Absence

Thank you for all your hard work this week.

I created this article with the image of a quiet afternoon during a leave of absence in mind.

I would be happy if you could read it along with the original background music🌿

Please feel free to play it while you read at your own pace.

Today, I would like to talk about a game

that I often played during my first leave of absence.

When you go on leave,

you run into an unexpected problem.

That is,

having too much time.

For a while after starting my leave, I had no energy to do anything,

so my days would just end with me lying down.

But as I started to feel a little better,

the time I spent thinking

"What should I do today?"

began to increase.

I finished my walk.

I read a little bit of a book.

I watched the videos I wanted to see.

But it was still only evening.

On days like that,

the thing I often opened up

was Mahjong Soul.

At first,

I'd think, "Just one game."

That's how I'd start.

But before I knew it,

"Oh, just one more game."

"I want to win this time for sure."

While thinking things like that,

I'd realize time had passed.

Mahjong was a game that used my brain more than I had expected.

"What should I discard?"

"What is this person aiming for?"

By the time I finished a game,

I felt a pleasant sense of fatigue,

like I had really used my brain.

"I was able to use my brain today."

The number of days I could feel that way gradually increased.

While on leave,

I haven't grown at all.

What am I going to do from here on out?

Will I be able to go back to work?

There were many days when I felt like that.

But,

I was able to build a hand I couldn't yesterday.

I started to win a little bit at a time.

I felt like my brain was working better than before.

In those small changes, I can feel my own kind of growth.

Those little "I did it" moments,

are surprisingly happy ones.

Also, while I'm concentrating on mahjong, I can'tendlessly worry about the future,

so I think that was good too.

When I get stuck in a loop of overthinking,

my mood just keeps sinking, so I feel like having time to focus on mahjong really helped me out.

Of course,

I don't win every day.

Actually, there are more days where I lose (laughs).

Sometimes I get completely crushed by my friends or my younger brother.

But,

I want to win next time.

Just having something that makes me feel that way,

made my days while on leave a little brighter.

I recently played Mahjong on Mahjong Soul with friends for the first time in a while,

and a single game took over an hour.

Mahjong really makes time melt away (lol).

But for me at the time,

I think that 'time spent being absorbed in something' was necessary.

Back then,

I felt a little guilty,

wondering if it was okay to just be playing games all the time.

But looking back now,

that time was for me,

perhaps a kind of rehabilitation that helped me get my brain moving little by little.

Even when I actually returned to work,

I didn't have the feeling that,

'my brain just can't keep up...' as much as I had expected.

Of course,

it wasn't just thanks to Mahjong.

Still,

the fact that I was getting my brain moving little by little while on leave,

I think it might have helped me when I returned to work.

The catalyst for recovery is different for everyone.

For me,

one of those things was Mahjong.

While getting beaten up by my friends and younger brother,

I think I'll aim to become a Mahjong Master at my own pace (lol).

Thank you for reading until the end.

The original article is here.

I would like to introduce some recommended magazines.

Thank you for introducing my articles again this week ☺️

It is always encouraging.

Every one of these is a wonderful magazine ✨

I'm sure you'll find articles you want to read,

so please take a look.

Here is an announcement 🐰

I made some LINE stickers 😊

I would be very happy if you could purchase them to show your support.

The sales page is here.

If you are interested, please take a look at these magazines as well.
I usually write articles like these too.

📖Kamin's Manga Essays
I record my daily life while on leave and events from my time as a nurse and office worker in 4-panel manga and essays.

📖 Kamin's Reading Log
This is a reading log where I write about what I felt from the books and manga I've read, while mixing in my own experiences.

🍃Chronicles of Ups and Downs
This is a magazine that compiles events from my past, including my time as an office worker and nurse, and things about my family.

🐰 Short Animation + Essays
This is a magazine that compiles short animations and the essays they were based on.

🌙A Shelter for Restless Nights
For nights when you can't sleep or days when you want to escape reality a little. I introduce videos and animations that you can just let play in the background.

📈FX Struggle Chronicles
I record the reasons I started FX and the challenges I faced until I quit my job.

💍Marriage Hunting Wanderings
This is a record of the matchmaking and marriage hunting I've been doing while feeling lost in life during my leave.