Ways to wind down after a frustrating day in Neopia

1. Seek comfort from others: Sure it may feel personal that the Wheel of Extravagance just tipped over into the X space for the umpteenth time, but it really isn’t. I can guarantee you that if you find some fellow Neopians and neofriends to complain to you will find that many others have suffered in the past. The boards are a great place to vent, and get it out of your system and the friendly people there will listen sympathise and offer distraction with stories of their own frustrations. Once you’ve got over your initial frustration you will have people to chat to and make friends with as you make preparations for round 2 (or 100). Peer support is crucial for any serious undertaking and having great friends to give you motivation and encouragement to continue is priceless. You may also get great tips and advice to help with the final push.

2. Shout into the abyss: If you find that shouting your frustrations to other denizens of Neopia isn’t helping, or you just want to be able to shout louder than your fellow Neopians wish to hear you, then you can go searching for the ‘secret’ abyss where you can go shout to your heart’s content without the fear or disturbing anyone. We recommend that you make sure to close the door behind you though, otherwise Finneus will be unimpressed that you are disrupting the calm of the Archives! Although this might be considered a ridiculous, or even frivolous (I mean, how much did adding an abyss even cost?!) feature to have in a library, it can be an exceedingly useful feature at times of great stress. Even wandering around the halls of the archives during your search for the secret Abyss will have a calming effect – who doesn’t love walking though halls full of old books?

Pro-tip: remember to keep hold of the door handle as you shout as we wouldn’t want you to get lost After all the Abyss is a pretty big void.

3. Take your frustrations out on a punchbag: Exercise is well known to be both a great outlet for emotion as well as increasing happiness. Therefore a good dose of punching something is perfect for calming yourself down at the end of the day. It will also make you sleep better! Luckily for those of us living in Neopia, we don’t have to resort to punching holes in walls as we have our very own punchbag – Bob! Although Bob offers no defence to any onslaught brought his way, he seems quite happy to maintain his position in the Battledome for any frustrated citizens to take their rage out in a safe and controlled environment. He doesn’t suffer permanent damage either so there is no harm done at the end of the fight and he is ready for round 2 should you require. A quick word of warning though, although Bob does not defend himself, his high HP means that you may be in for a long old fight if you don’t have a strong pet, or decent weapons! We don’t want to add more annoyances into your day, so don’t say you weren’t warned.

4. Play a relaxing game, and don’t worry about your score: Find a game that you can zone out to, perhaps it has amazing music (thank you Faerie’s Chest). Perhaps it is a game you are just super amazing at or perhaps you just find it fun. Games that don’t run on a timer are perfect choices for this, you might want to try out Faerie bubbles, Grand Theft Ummagine or Gwyl’s Great Escape. Alternatively, if the concept of a timer doesn’t immediately start to up your stress levels you could try Hasee Bounce, Gormball and Whirlpool which are all fun and also have high levels of cute to distract you! Sit down, unwind, zone out and play. It doesn’t matter what your score is – you aren’t playing this game for points, you are playing for fun. Remember kids, this is a fun place – it’s great to have goals but you are also encouraged to unwind and just play for sheer enjoyment.

Warning - games NOT to try when you are already on the verge of rage: Barf Boat, Extreme Potato Counter, Chariot Chase. These will only make everything worse.

5. Retail therapy: Go on a shopping spree – treat your pets to an entirely new look and fill up their closet with a range of new clothes and accessories. Once you’ve bought their new things you can rush home together to try out some cool new customisations and vibes. It’s always good to change things up and sometimes a new dress or haircut can make you feel completely refreshed. If clothes aren’t your thing you could treat yourself to that slightly extravagant purchase you’ve been putting off – you know, that gallery item or album item that is missing from your collection that isn’t quite out of budget, but is pushing the budget to the seams. Just go for it. Make that purchase – that means even if you didn’t get the trophy or avatar today then you’ve got one step further in completing something else. How satisfying.

    So if you’ve just missed out on something, or once again that avatar has eluded you, don’t despair! Take a deep breath and follow our guide. You’ll be feeling better in no time – almost as zen as the Techo Master himself – and quite ready to give it another go when you are refreshed. Don’t give up, you are so close to reaching your goals – just try once more!