Feeling Restless? Try a 'Side Quest' to Shake Up Your Routine

Feeling stuck, tense or restless? Experts suggest borrowing a concept from video games: the side quest.

In gaming, a side quest is a mission that deviates from the main storyline, adding depth and flavor to the experience. In real life, it's an activity pursued purely for fun and exploration, with no other goal.

"Just like in the gaming world, it makes the main quest stronger," said Kyra Gaunt, an ethnomusicologist and author of The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes From Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop. "It gives it more nuance or new dimension or brings out a facet of you that you convinced yourself you couldn't [be]."

Research shows play can help people adapt to difficult circumstances, practice problem-solving and build collaboration skills. "Doing something you've not done before will open up the brain's different neural networks," Gaunt said. "You'll get this sense of wonder and awe."

To find a side quest, experts suggest starting with childhood play preferences. Jeff Harry, a public speaker who teaches workshops on play, recommends thinking about activities enjoyed as a kid — Legos, finger painting, physical challenges — and finding a modern equivalent, such as an improv class or an adventurous hike.

Another option is a quiz developed using thousands of play histories collected by the National Institute for Play and psychiatrist Stuart Brown, which identifies play styles such as "dreamer" or "organizer."

Gaunt also encourages trying something entirely unfamiliar. She once took a drawing class despite feeling she couldn't draw, and found the experience improved her writing the next day.

Sahara Moné, curator of the community group Let's Play NYC, suggests following persistent urges — like a long-delayed wish to try an acting class — as a starting point.

Gaunt offers an acronym, ARTSN, to help make a side quest happen: Achievable, Revealing, Time-bound, Specific, and Notice how you feel afterward.

"Adults spend so much time in environments where they're trying to control the outcome," Gaunt said. Side quests, she added, release people from that pressure.