Anxiety Quest

''What is the purpose of this game?'' If you play through this fantasy adventure in its entirety, you will learn not only the basics but also many of the details of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - techniques that can and will change your life. These include various forms of Relaxation Training (“<font color="33FFF7">Yoga Magic</font>"), Cognitive Therapy (“<font color="33FFF7">Logos Magic</font>”), Behavioral/Exposure Therapy (“<font color="33FFF7">Berserker Magic</font>”), and Assertiveness Training (“<font color="33FFF7">Verbal Wizardry</font>”). (save-game: "A") [[Let’s get started]] [[About the author]] <script>gtag('event', 'Purpose');</script> (set: $SmileRune1 to 0)(set: $MRelaxRune1 to 0)(set: $PBCRune1 to 0) (set: $SmileRune2 to 0)(set: $PBCRune2 to 0) (set: $PBCRune3 to 0)

You are Cabata, heir to the throne of Alluvia, descendant of a long line of sorcerer monarchs. On the morning of your eighteenth birthday, you are trekking towards an expert in Yoga Magic. You hope she has peace to offer on this trying day. (save-game:"A") [[Belinda the Enchantress->Yoga Magic]] <script>gtag('event', 'Intro');</script>

I am a psychiatrist in private practice in Los Angeles. I specialize in the treatment of anxiety disorders using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Assertiveness Training, and (when appropriate) medications. I have also been an anxiety sufferer myself, in the form of Generalized Anxiety and Social Anxiety. You can find out more about me at <a href="http://lapsychiatrist.com"style="color:green">www.LApsychiatrist.com</a>. You can also read a detailed description of all of the techniques in this game at <a href="http://socialanxietywebsite.com" style="color:green">www.SocialAnxietyWebsite.com</a>. (save-game: "A") [[Alright already, let’s get started.->Let’s get started]] <script>gtag('event', 'About the Author');</script>

The smell of old dirt and thick dust rise to greet you. You have reaced the catacombs, the final resting place of your ancestors somewhere deep underneath your castle. <font color="33FFF7">//Is this where I am to find some peace?//</font> Belinda approaches, her frail frame lit by a solitary candle. “Welcome, Cabata. You are now eighteen. An adult. Which means you are old enough to make your own decisions, and old enough to receive a valuable gift from your ancestors." Your ears perk up. "That's right, Cabata, a Book of Lore, but in order to receive it you must prove yourself worthy." (save-game: "A") [[The Five Runes Test]] <script>gtag('event', 'Belinda');</script>

You walk down a hallway and find a tunnel branching off to the side. About twenty yards down, a candle burns on the ground, illuminating a small chest with a silver key dangling by its lock. As your eyes fully adjust to the darkness, you begin to distinguish statues and mausoleums lining the right side. A slight chill runs down your spine. This particular hall is the final resting place of your most recent ancestors. A glowing runes lies in front of each mausoleum. You have some idea of what to expect: fear runes. Each will trigger some form of anxiety when crossed. If you accidentally react with a Yoga Magic technique that highlights an anxiety-provoking sensation (for example, focusing on your heart when it is already racing), you will intensify your fear, losing the challenge. You must pick a technique which directs your attention away from anxiety. You quickly review your Yoga Magic techniques. <font color="33FFF7">''Smiling''</font> - Briefly, hold a smile. The quickest technique. <font color="33FFF7">''Sensation Focusing (sounds and colors)''</font> - Tune into the immediate surroundings. <font color="33FFF7">''Muscle Relaxation''</font> - Progressively tense then relax your muscles. <font color="33FFF7">''Permission Breath Counting''</font> - A forceful way to focus on your breathing. (save-game: "A") [[Start->The First Rune]] <script>gtag('event', 'Five Runes Intro');</script>

<img src="http://www.anxietyquest.com/AnxietyQuestSmall.jpg" width="360" height="540"> {(if:(saved-games:) contains "A")[(link: "Continue Most Recent Game")[(load-game:"A")]](else:)[[[Click Here To Start->Let’s get started]]]} {(if:(saved-games:) contains "A")[[[Start Over->Let’s get started]]]} <script>gtag('event', 'Start');</script>

The first rune looks innocent enough; it is shaped like a cake. It lies adjacent to a statue of a smiling, rotund man with comically skinny legs: your great-grandfather Peter the Portly. <font color="33FFF7">//How bad can this be?//</font> You step across the rune and immediately feel weighed down. Your chest feels heavy. Your arms and legs become leaden, pendulous. It is hard to move. Slowly, you sink toward the floor, your muscles unable to support your sudden bulk. You are barely standing. <font color="33FFF7">//Crap.//</font> The first rune has been triggered. Which Yoga Magic technique do you employ? ``[You can use each technique only once per trial.]`` (save-game: "A") (if: $SmileRune1 is 0)[[[</script><font color="33FFF7">''Smiling''</font> - Briefly, hold a smile. The quickest technique.->Smiling by the First Rune]]] [[<font color="33FFF7">''Sensation Focusing (sounds and colors)''</font> - Tune into the immediate surroundings.-> Sensation Focusing by the First Rune]] (if: $MRelaxRune1 is 0)[[[<font color="33FFF7">''Muscle Relaxation''</font> - Progressively tense then relax your muscles.->Muscle Relaxation by the First Rune]]] (if: $PBCRune1 is 0)[[[<font color="33FFF7">''Permission Breath Counting''</font> - A forceful way to focus on your breathing.->Permission Breath Counting by the First Rune]]] <script>gtag('event', 'The First Rune');</script>

You manage a slight smile, and, for a few seconds, you actually do feel better (for some reason, flowers come to mind); but, soon, your thoughts return to the heaviness in your limbs, every fiber straining towards the floor. This technique is certainly quick, but it works best for brief triggers of anxiety (such as fleeting thoughts or images). As it is, the longer you continue, the more the smile starts to feel forced and artificial. It has simply lost its power. You are currently lying face up on the floor, immobilized by your bulk. <font color="red">//This sucks!//</font> Mercifully, your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud gong. (save-game: "A") [[Next->Smiling Rune Fail]] <script>gtag('event', 'First Rune Smile');</script> (set:$SmileRune1 to 1)

You close your eyes and listen to every sound you can hear: the soft rhythmic sound of your breathing, a gurgle in your stomach. You can just make out a pleasant tune somewhere behind you, Belinda humming at her vanity. You are less focused on your body. You open your eyes and look at every color you can see: the yellows and orange of the flickering candle, the shifting browns of the chest dancing in the light, the glinting silver of the dangling key, the grays of the mausoleum statues. You are feeling calm. Your mind is more at peace. You snap out of your reverie, and, with relief, you realize you are no longer feeling heavy. The fear spell has been broken. You have defeated the first rune. <font color="33FFF7">//Sweet!//</font> (save-game: "A") [[The Second Rune]]

You close your eyes and make fists with your hands, squeezing as hard as you can. You try to focus on the tension in that part of your body, but there is a problem: your hands, your arms, your legs... your entire body is the source of your anxiety. You are only calling more attention to how heavy you feel. You are feeling impossibly weighed down, every fiber of your body straining towards the ground. You soon find yourself lying face up on the floor, immobilized by your bulk. <font color="red">//This sucks!//</font> Mercifully, your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud gong. (save-game: "A") [[Next->Wrong Technique Rune Fail]] <script>gtag('event', 'First Rune M Relax');</script> (set:$MRelaxRune1 to 1)

You close your eyes and begin your strongest (and least convenient) Yoga Magic technique. You inhale and try to hold your breath until the number one is the only thing on your mind, but there is a problem. The focus on your breathing only calls attention to the heaviness in your chest. You are feeling impossibly weighed down, every fiber of your body straining towards the ground. You soon find yourself lying face up on the floor, immobilized by your bulk. <font color="red">//This sucks!//</font> Mercifully, your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud gong. (save-game: "A") [[Next->Wrong Technique Rune Fail]] <script>gtag('event', 'First Rune PBC');</script> (set:$PBCRune1 to 1)

In a blink of an eye, you find yourself transported, suddenly facing Belinda the Enchantress in the entry chamber. She is smiling. You feel calm, back to normal. You let out a sigh of relief. She has released the spell. "And what made you think something as brief as smiling would work for feelings that were long-lasting? No matter, Cabata. Keep trying! I believe in you." She gives you a wink and shoos you back towards the hallway. (save-game: "A") [[Try Again->The First Rune]]

In a blink of an eye, you find yourself transported, suddenly facing Belinda in the entry chamber. She is smiling. You feel calm, back to normal. You let out a sigh of relief. She has released the spell. "Focusing on a source of anxiety?! Hehehe. A classic mistake. No matter, Cabata. Keep trying! I believe in you." She gives you a wink and shoos you back towards the hallway. (save-game: "A") [[Try Again->The First Rune]]

You approach the tomb of your paternal grandmother Wendy the Wise. A book-shaped rune lies in front of her bespectacled effigy. You step across it, triggering a cloud of dust to fill the air... thick dust... like you might find on the shelves of an ancient, neglected library. Floating motes of grime and wisps of cobwebs obscure your vision. Thickness pollutes your lungs. Reflexively, you hold your breath, stifling a strong urge to escape the fetid air. <font color="red">//I have to get out of here!//</font> The second rune has been triggered. Which Yoga Magic technique do you employ? ``[You can use each technique only once per trial.]`` (save-game: "A") (if: $SmileRune2 is 0)[[[</script><font color="33FFF7">''Smiling''</font> - Briefly, hold a smile. The quickest technique.->Smiling by the Second Rune]]] [[<font color="33FFF7">''Muscle Relaxation''</font> - Progressively tense then relax your muscles.->M Relaxation by the Second Rune]] (if: $PBCRune2 is 0)[[[<font color="33FFF7">''Permission Breath Counting''</font> - A forceful way to focus on your breathing.->PBC by the Second Rune]]] <script>gtag('event', 'The Second Rune');</script>

You manage a slight smile and, for a few seconds, you actually do feel better (for some reason, flowers come to mind); but, soon, your thoughts return to the filth and motes of dust floating through the air, threatening to invade your lungs. This technique is certainly quick, but it works best for brief triggers of anxiety (such as fleeting thoughts or images). As it is, the longer you continue, the more the smile starts to feel forced and artificial. It has simply lost its power. You feel more disgusted by the dense air you are breathing. You start to cough. It is hard to breathe. <font color="red">//I need air!//</font> Mercifully, your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud gong. (save-game: "A") [[Next->Smiling Rune Fail]] <script>gtag('event', 'Second Rune Smile');</script> (set:$SmileRune2 to 1)

You close your eyes and make fists with your hands, squeezing them as hard as you can. You focus on the tension in your palms and knuckles. After ten seconds, you release, concentrating on the warmth coursing back through your fingers. You pull your toes and feet up as high as they can go, until a burning sensation spreads throughout your tendons. Slowly, you relax, allowing the fire to cool. You repeat this sequence many times: tensing then releasing, tensing then releasing. After several repetitions, your muscles are feeling relaxed and warm; your breath, even. You open your eye and let out a sigh of relief; the air is clean. The fear spell has been broken. You have defeated the second rune. <font color="33FFF7">//Nice!//</font> (save-game: "A") [[The Third Rune]]

You close your eyes and begin your strongest (and least convenient) Yoga Magic technique. You inhale and try to hold your breath until the number one is the only thing on your mind, but there is a problem. The focus on your breathing only calls attention to the dust and filth polluting your lungs. You feel more disgusted by the fetid air that you are breathing. You start to cough. It is hard to breathe. <font color="red">//I need air!//</font> Mercifully, your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud gong. (save-game: "A") [[Next->Wrong Technique Rune Fail]] <script>gtag('event', 'Second Rune PBC');</script> (set:$PBCRune2 to 1)

You step up to the third mausoleum, a statue of your parents holding hands. They look peaceful and calm, a slight smile on their faces, bringing up bittersweet memories and a longing for lighter days, before the dark times. You shake your thoughts aside. Must stay focused on my task. The rune by their feet is shaped like a metronome, a reference to your mother's love of music. You approach, and, to your surprise, the metronome starts moving, slowly ticking from side to side. With each tick, an image of your parents briefly pops to mind, looking anxious, strained, afraid. Tick. Tick. Tick. Each time, the disturbing image stoking worry for their plight. <font color="red">//They are in suffering!//</font> The third rune has been triggered. You will need something quick to match its pace. Which Yoga Magic technique do you employ? ``[You can use each technique only once per trial.]`` (save-game: "A") [[</script><font color="33FFF7">''Smiling''</font> - Briefly, hold a smile. The quickest technique.->Smiling by the Third Rune]] (if: $PBCRune3 is 0)[[[<font color="33FFF7">''Permission Breath Counting''</font> - A forceful way to focus on your breathing.->PBC by the Third Rune]]] <script>gtag('event', 'The Third Rune');</script>

As each tick approaches, you briefly smile, holding it just long enough to block the mental pain. It is working. The physical is overpowers the mental, you see an image your parents in better days, smiling, holding hands, peaceful. You continue, timing your brief smile to the beat of the metronome. The ticking suddenly stops. You open your eyes. The metronome has vanished; the fear spell has been broken. You have defeated the third rune.<font color="33FFF7"> //Let's finish this!//</font> (save-game: "A") [[The Final Rune]]

You close your eyes and begin your strongest (and least convenient) Yoga Magic technique. You inhale and hold your breath until the number one is the only thing on your mind, but the technique is too slow. As you wait for your mind to focus, it gets taunted by beat after beat of the metronome. The image of your parents in despair becomes more vivid, haunting, making you frantic. <font color="red">//They need my help now!//</font> Mercifully, your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a loud gong. (save-game: "A") [[Next->PBC Fail at Third Rune]] <script>gtag('event', 'Third Rune PBC');</script> (set:$PBCRune3 to 1)

You approach the fourth and final rune. The chest is very close now; the goal is so near. Your excitement builds. <font color="33FFF7">//Almost there!//</font> The final rune is a small hourglass flanked by the words "Sit Here" and "Face This Way". There is also a small arrow pointing to the right. You comply with the instructions and find yourself staring a spitting image of yourself. This is your own mausoleum, your future grave. The hair stands on the back of your neck. Your mind careens towards thoughts of death. How long before you join your ancestors? How much time until you are locked here forever, decaying matter? Beads of sweat form on your brow. <font color="red">//Death is inevitable.//</font> The final fear rune has been triggered. Which Yoga Magic technique do you employ? ``[You can use each technique only once per trial.]`` (save-game: "A") [[<font color="33FFF7">''Permission Breath Counting''</font> - A forceful way to focus on your breathing.->PBC by the Final Rune]] <script>gtag('event', 'The Final Rune');</script>

You close your eyes and begin your strongest (and least convenient) Yoga Magic technique. You inhale and hold your breath until the number one is the only thing on your mind: "1 1 1 1 1". It takes a while to push the image of the mausoleum from your mind; but, finally, the need for air forces you succeed. You exhale and wait until the number two is the only thing on your mind: "2 2 2 2". It is still a struggle, but eventually, your mind focuses on just the number. Inhale. Wait for three... Exhale. Wait for four... Still taking time; still deflecting thoughts about your own mortality. By the time you reach twenty, the numbers are finally coming smoothly. Your breath is getting even. Your mind is more at ease. When you reach forty you are feeling relaxed and peaceful, perfectly calm. Your mind is silent in between the numbers. You open your eyes and are greeted by the chest, illuminated by the flickering flame. You have been turned around; the spell is broken. You've done it. <font color="33FFF7">//Success!//</font> You turn the key and open the chest, eagerly anticipating what waits inside. (save-game: "A") [[Your Reward]] <script>gtag('event', 'Final Rune Success');</script>

It is your very own Book of Lore: "<font color="33FFF7">The Book of Happiness</font>". You consume the book, rapidly flipping through its pages, the information absorbing magically into your mind. It starts out rather candidly, declaring that happiness is not the right word for what it offers, only the closest in your language. The book will guide you towards a mixture of happiness and contentment. Happiment if you will. At the core is the idea that you need to be happy AND productive in order to have a good life… neither one will work alone. It has many practical suggestions: Human beings are happiest when they work between 30-50 hours a week, less or more causes problems. No work after 8pm (including talking about, reading about, or writing for work). Live within 30 minutes of your workplace. Beyond that, anxiety and sadness start to rise. You need at least three close, emotionally stable friends in order to feel happiest. Reach out to those you have lost touch with. It will be worth the effort. Goals focused on Money, Fame, Status and Power are associated with decreased happiness. Goals focused on Family, Friends, Fitness (both mental and physical) and Philanthropy (the "Four F's") are associated with increased happiness. (save-game: "A") [[Next->Jump to CYOA]] <script>gtag('event', 'Book of Happiness');</script>

This format of Anxiety Quest is still under construction. In order to continue playing in the older format, click <a href="http://chooseyourstory.com/story/viewer/default.aspx?StoryId=54643"style="color:green">here</a>. <script>gtag('event', 'Exit Page');</script> (save-game: "A")

In a blink of an eye, you find yourself transported, suddenly facing Belinda in the entry chamber. She is smiling. You feel calm, back to normal. You let out a sigh of relief. She has released the spell. "Ah, Permission Breath Counting. A powerful technique, but a bit slow when something fast is called for. No matter, keep trying!" She gives you a wink and points you back toward the hallway. (save-game: "A") [[Try Again->The First Rune]]