Backstory: I’m 42, Veteran, full time student with 3 kids in college. Social life kinda suffers, but it is what it is I guess.
With Pokémon however:
Friends collect it…
My FB feed is mostly Pokémon groups …(my fault)
TV, I’m usually watching Youtube. Poketubers doing their thing…(my fault)
When I get on a website it’s usually just this one…(my fault)
I catch myself on eBay during school lol…(my fault)
My mind is constantly on this stuff…(again, my fault)
Anyone else feel like they are burning themselves out in some sort of way? Seems like no matter what I’m doing, Pokemon is on my damn mind all the time lol.
I will always collect, but maybe I should diversify and outsource something else as well to alleviate from getting run down by it. Like another hobby or something.
Anything can become addictive, especially things that you naturally enjoy. But everything in life is best in moderation right? Like you mentioned we can only blame ourselves if we go overboard and start to burn ourselves out. We shouldn’t have to perform a juggling act in life to manage a healthy lifestyle. If something is taking up too much of our time and mental space its best to just cut a portion of it out if not completely for a time in order to refocus or recenter ourselves. Maybe take a week or two break to put focus into something else or just relax the mind, and then come back fresh. Just my thoughts anyways, ofc how you choose to go about things is up to you. cheers mate.
It’s always good to take a break. I’ll likely be taking one soon, perhaps for a few months.
If you choose to take a break you’ll have to forget the FOMO of leaving the hobby for a little bit. There will always be deals and bargains in the future and you can always pick up cards you’ve missed during your break afterwards.
I’m slowly easing off by finishing some small short term collection goals and unsubscribing from all poketubers.
Time off might allow you to get back some social time and study a little more for a test.
I sympathize for sure. The hobby is very crowded these days and I feel like I hone in on price and condition of my cards instead of enjoying them and thinking about the reason I started collecting.
The solution for me is to either focus on something else for a bit or stay off of eBay/social media to ditch the feeling of never having enough. Breaks are good, doesn’t matter what it is in life.
I definitely have had that feeling a lot more this year. I think it is partly due to lack of other stimulus, like things I would normally be doing but I cant due to the pandemic. I found for a while that focusing on my binder collection was much more enjoyable as it took me back and I didn’t care so much about card condition and value. Problem is even EX-NM wotc binder holos are going for a pretty penny nowadays so even binder collections are becoming more expensive and I am not that into modern.
As others have said I think the main thing is if it is becoming a bit of a obsession is to take a break and try and focus on something else, find new hobbies, read, go into the outdoors/nature if possible, catch up with friends and family, listening to music, what ever you find enjoyable and relaxing.
I have certainly found myself focusing more on Pokemon this year than normal. I have been collecting for years but have always had other distractions like work and socialising etc to keep me from burning out. The pandemic has made that difficult, working from home and not able to see friends and family has meant more time with my thoughts and therefore more time for Pokemon. I have tried to limit it as much as I can and focus on binder sets so that I can still enjoy that chase for a card but nothing breaking the bank. It also reminds me why I started. I love my graded collection but nothing beats looking through a full binder.
Sometimes you gotta knock yourself on the head that Pokemon is a product. It isn’t real, it’ll never be real, it is just a fictitious fantasy series that is supposed to be for your leisure. Don’t let fantasy consume you. It is fun to explore and delve into, but try to live reality to its fullest and only explore this stuff when you have the time too. And if it’s no longer fun, then it’s no longer serving its purpose!
A lot is currently going on in this hobby and I too feel stressed to either sell or buy before prices retrace or rise respectively.
I try to focus on other things, not necessarily collectibles. I’m currently looking for Christmas presents and pc parts instead of browsing pokémon cards.
The King and many others have chimed in and I appreciate the kind suggestions.
I will take what was said into deep thought and go from there.
I guess going through a separation as of late is one of the main reasons I’ve exhausted most of my time into this hobby, Like an outlet sort of speak. To the point where I may be overdoing it lol.
I’ve always been somewhat of a lone wolf, introverted by nature. Pokemon among other hobbies have always been my “escape” as a veteran and recovering alcoholic alcohol use to be my escape. With pokemon, it’s just the simple feeling of purity for me it’s a community that I’ve never felt judged for who I am. Pokemon is part of my social life, pokemon go is a great avenue to engage in my local community. To get that real sense of connection, while I’ve met many great people over the internet created strong connections and meaningful relationships even meeting up going on vacations. There is something so valuable about I’d say diversifying your social engagement. I’d say it’s good you’re earnestly and honestly just simply enjoying your time, the hobby but channel that into your local community and family.
For me pokemon has always just been that constant and right now it’s not so I almost feel obligated and it has become more much more of a burnout… I’m a data analyst and financial advisor… I feel like I get home from work just to go back to work. I think it’s just honestly become very overwhelming right now and with all the extra time and working from home. I think a big help is I downloaded the TCG started playing 2-3 months ago it has actually been a blast. (I think I just started getting sidetracked)
Enjoy yourself, my friend I hope this was helpful in some capacity. @crushingame ,
This seems like a mental issue, you might want to meditate or take a break.
I collect all kind of things so I always have different things going on. I don’t feel burnt out just overly exited all the time.
Being said that you’re 42 it’s kind of hard to suggest something since we’re all 20-30 years old with the exception of Gary. Mostly all of us have the nostalgia factor since we were all kids when we first fell in love with Pokémon. That alone drives our enthusiasm naturally.
But since you asked what else you can collect here are a few suggestions. (What I collect)
Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super and even Dragon Ball GT Figures/Cards
It’s always good to take a step back whenever you feel that way. I notice that you didn’t really identify a portion of time to “enjoy your collection” or to look through your things. I find looking through some of my binders works wonders.
Also, it’s really good to reduce the amount of pokemon content that you’re consuming. Often, you’ll know what your opinion is on the market and you don’t really need 5 youtubers to tell you the same thing. So, why listen?
I like to spend my time listening to how other collectibles are faring - for instance, sports cards saw a lot of hype similar to Pokemon, but have dropped from their all time highs this year (don’t quote me on this, lol). In that sense, you’re still being productive, but you’re not stuck in a pokemon bubble.
Between the fatigue of it being constant, USPS losing orders of mine left and right, not being able to get any PSA orders back and then getting hit with a fake booster box it definitely has burnt me out recently. Will never quit collecting Pokémon but will definitely dial it back
