I’m home all day. I’m a SAHW who doesn’t work. I’m alone most of the day, stuck in bed, puking my brains out and trying to pass time between waves of nausea. There really wasn’t much else I could do.
I even binged the entire Marvel Universe in just a few days💀 I couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t move my body, couldn’t even scroll on my phone for long without feeling worse. So I played The Sims.
I’ve always loved storytelling. Creating characters. Building worlds. Decorating homes. Imagining lives, backstories, relationships, alternate paths. I’ve always been creative in that way, drawn to environments where I can shape a narrative, control the details, and let stories unfold slowly.
That’s why The Sims has been one of my favorite games ever.
I’ve been playing The Sims since I was little. It’s one of those games that has followed me through different phases of my life, different devices, different homes, different versions of me. Early Childhood. Teenage years. And now 30 and pregnant.
It isn’t just a game I pick up casually, it’s a creative outlet. And during a time when I had zero control over my own body, controlling even small things, like a Sim’s routine or the layout of a home, felt so grounding in a way that’s hard to explain.
A place where I can build, design, and tell stories without pressure. Some days I’m deeply invested in my Sims’ lives. Other days I just want to decorate a kitchen for an hour and log off. Both feel equally satisfying.
So when I found myself stuck in bed for weeks, gravitating back to it felt natural. So when pregnancy didn’t go the way I expected, when I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum and suddenly found myself bedridden for months, it made sense that I returned to something that had always felt safe and familiar.
Mods also made a huge difference and I can’t play without them as they really enhance the game and give us a bit more control over our characters. MC Command Center gave me control over story progression so the world felt alive but not chaotic.
UI Cheats removed unnecessary friction. Slice of Life adds depth without overwhelm. And the Build/Buy custom content makes me spend hours creating calm, cozy spaces, soft colors, clean layouts, peaceful digital homes.
Here are my favorite expansion packs that I purchased so far:
Island Living was pure escapism for me. My Sims were living by the ocean, surrounded by water and sunlight, while I was very much not. I am currently in New York at the moment because my husband has work here. I’ve never really loved the cold. I’m used to Miami heat, palm trees, and that sticky, slow warmth that makes everything feel a little softer. So yes, I was absolutely imagining myself on the beach with them lol.
With Seasons, I loved building little traditions for my Sims, cozy holidays, quiet routines, seasonal goals. A summer that felt light. A winter that eventually passed. There was something deeply reassuring about watching cycles continue, even when my own days felt stuck on repeat. Seeing time move forward in small, predictable ways was very comforting.
And University is just genuinely fun. I’m in my thirties now and there’s something nostalgic about the college atmosphere, dorms, campuses, schedules, and that feeling of being busy in a contained, low-stakes way. I loved sending Sims to class, managing coursework, attending events, and slowly watching progress add up. And ofc creating drama.
Gaming right now for me isn’t avoidance. It’s a coping mechanism. A way to stay mentally anchored when my physical body is struggling. I wasn’t trying to optimize my time or turn rest into something impressive. I was just trying to get through the day.
HG takes a lot out of you, but it forces you to slow down in a way I never would’ve chosen. And in that stillness, I found comfort in something familiar, gentle, and quietly creative.
Honestly, Vanessa 