"Today, I'm thankful for Pokémon Go (or: How Pokémon Go Saved My Life)"

#PokemonGO: This year, I am thankful for Pokémon Go. On May 25th of this year, my best friend of 7 years committed suicide. She was 19. When I first heard the news, I had an anxiety attack like I've never had before. For days, I could barely get out of bed. This wasn't ideal since i was taking two summer classes. On June 7th, Pokémon Go came out. I had been waiting on this since it was first announced. Pokémon in the real world??? I'd been dreaming about this since I was born (I was born in 1997.) I've bought every game, seen every single episode of Pokémon. It was a literal dream come true. But when it came out...I didn't have the enthusiasm I thought I would. I could barely get out of bed, let alone outside. But then all my friends, who knew I loved Pokémon, started texting me. I'd been ignoring people's messages since I'm my friend passed away. Everyone was saying the same thing...I'm sorry for your passing. And I am thankful that they thought of me...but I just couldn't bring myself to respond. Until Pokémon Go came out. Everyone started messaging, asking if I wanted to go out hunting with them. I finally said yes. When we went out, they didn't bring up my friend. They just kept me distracted and focused on Pokémon. We would theorize about what Niantic could add soon (man, were we disappointed), complain about how unreliable the servers were, and marvel at people who were already level 13! I know it sounds stupid...but Pokémon Go saved my life. It kept my mind on something else. If I started feeling depressed, I would go out hunting with friends. And eventually, by myself. I honestly don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for Pokémon Go. And for that I will forever be thankful.[Story] via /r/pokemongo http://ift.tt/2gqbUB8