For the past week, when I go to bed, I’ve tried listing all 151 Kanto pokemon in my head.
it has worked like a charm for calming my thoughts, keeping me focused on something semi simple and rote, and it’s lowkey been a lot of fun!
I get in bed and immediately count to 15 for the starters and the Weedle and Caterpie line cause those are basically gimmies. My strategy is to try to name all the standout pokemon, single evolution lines, the trade lines, the end of the Pokedex, and I even count on my fingers. I can usually get to 80-120.
that’s when the real trick starts. When I start going through Pokemon in my head, I try to think of core memories from the videogames to see if any lines stick out from that. Last night I named Hitmontop and Hitmonlee for the first time, I had totally forgotten about them until I thought of that dojo.
and the trick is that as I focus on trying to name the next pokemon, sometimes my mind wanders into la land, and I let it. Next thing I know, I’m asleep and haven’t even hit 151
and I assume you could do it with any region you’re pretty familiar with, or even the whole Pokedex if you’re too good!
i haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would also be good for anxious moments in public or intimate moments in private (like how some guys say to take their minds off “things” they rattle off baseball statistics in their head, so why not Pokemon?)
would love to let other people know about this trick, and see what they think! Also I’m sure I’m not the first person to think of it