At first, I use sims for destress and escapism, diving into an Utopian world where the rules are clear and mold-able to my liking.
Now I've started storytelling with sims and I find it immensely cathartic. I work with people from a variety of backgrounds, some good, some in pretty bad/horrible situations. I'm not a counselor, and I feel grateful and privileged to be shared with of these experiences. Sometimes the pain is too great for me to absorb, and I am affected mentally (
vicarous trauma). So I weave them into the characters I create to release their pain, and put my own fairytale spin and happy ending. Sims is a healthy outlet of whatever I make it out to be, whether I feel the need to escape today, or make my characters (aka me) face the skeletons in their closet tomorrow.
