I need to do that, sounds great.
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Sounds like a nice periodic detox which can be helpful when fatigue sets in. Thanks for sharing the insight.
Cheers!
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I’ve definitely gone through varying phases of collecting enthusiasm, but I’d say I’m way more prone to getting burned out on the community/content/market aspects around collecting than collecting itself. Sometimes I just wanna get a card, go “that’s nice”, and put it on a shelf without seeing any of the exhausting SICK FIRE POP 1 GRAIL INVEST LIKE FOLLOW SUBSCRIBE garbage about it.
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Joined E4 in 2022, and deleted Instagram in 2023. I buy what I enjoy, and fill my binders how I like. Collecting fatigue has been managed.
This is the way.
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I took a massive break during Covid since product was a pain to find in my small area. At the time I had been collecting again for 10 years. It was tough to put it away but I had other priorities that i needed at the time.
I used to have massive FOMO and would complete sets a few weeks after they came out. Given the sets at the time might have had 125 cards with a handful being playable and catching a premium because of that.
I have also stopped using many social media platforms to digest my collecting needs. I’m so tired of the open mouth thumbnails and hype cards that flood these spaces. This has allowed me to really enjoy the cards again. I mimic exactly what @pfm stated in their post in regards to IG and YouTube.
I now take my time with new sets and am still working on completing my Sword and Shield era. Since I have come back I was able to finish up the Sun and moon era so that felt awesome.
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I for sure have felt fatigue with collecting and havent actually purchased a card since feb 2022. During that time i completely disconnected from the hobby in terms of even using the forum. Fast forward to around the start of this year however and I find myself here basically every day and soon will be resuming buying as i feel ive got the love for it back which i think may not have happened if i didnt take a break and tried to persist with collecting during that time.
Edit: 8 years to the day since i signed up to the forum, my redemption arc is complete haha.
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On today’s episode of needszeebs going through Pokemon crisis, I think much of the Collecting Fatigue I experience can be related to a type of overstimulation— I think it’s more about information fatigue/ overload, than it is collecting, per se.
I tend to do this thing where I get interested in something and then I just beat it into ground (metaphorically lol). I watch hours of videos, I think about it constantly, I talk about it constantly; I eat, sleep, and breathe it, until eventually, I just burn right out. It all just becomes too much and I need to detox from it— thinking about it just makes me feel gross. I wayy overdo it, sometimes.
These days, there is so much Pokemon everywhere, all the time. There’s new record sales all the time, there’s constantly product being broken, cards being graded, mouths being opened for thumbnails, new cards coming out, etc. There’s probably a lifetime of content just on Pokemon cards I’ll never have the chance to own. Especially after 2020, it’s exhausting.
So, my advice to anyone feeling fatigue or burnout on collecting is what I am trying now: disengage from social media. Stop watching videos about Pokemon, reading tweets, Facebook, etc. People want to capture your engagement, so they’re constantly trying to make things sound 10x more significant than they actually are. You need the mundane ebbs and flows of the everyday, 110% all the time is nauseating. Spend less time watching other people’s experiences and more time curating your own.
tl;dr → basically what rattlesnake said
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Experiencing some right now, but competing priorities for my time luckily are serving a double purpose - giving me a break in collecting/thinking about the next purchase or sale AND giving me more time to focus on real world things.
Like the ebb and flow of the yukon river, the busy season needs a slow season
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Pokemon went from a hobby to a lifestyle/occupation in the past couple years. You can probably tell by the slower public video uploads I am more burnt out than ever. When I started, it was about sharing information and knowledge. Now the landscape is primarily clout chasing or who can be the most controversial.
There didn’t used to be this much noise and drama. It’s different when something legitimate happens like the tcpi leak or Logan Paul fake box, but I’ve noticed a significant uptick in straight hate comments. There are channels now that just tear down everything and have discords of fans who dog pile.
This didn’t exist years ago. I think it might primarily affect veterans as the transition has more whiplash. Either way the constant noise and 24/7 drama isn’t healthy. You have to actively avoid noise today which can feel like work. I’ve found peace in taking a step back. I just didn’t plan on it being so sudden, or ever having to consider potentially not making content.
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basically this
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Collection thread when my friend? Would love to see some of those binders please.
Cheers!
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I went to the YuGioh Worlds in 2004, and a friends dad there said he was glad his son didn’t spend the money on stuff that was actually bad for him.
Similarly, I’ve had this discussion recently with my SigO, and she said while she would have less stuff, she gets it. I’m trying to reduce my stuff anyway, but as far as TCG cards, they take up little space, and so, it’s not a big deal. As long as you derive value from it, and it’s not hurting you in some way, the value is still, valuable. Plus it gives her something to tease me over, since I’m so perfect otherwise. 
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Yep I’ll probably do a collection thread later this year. I’m still a newish collector so I’m still in the midst of working on 10 different goals. Once I have some critical mass I’ll have a meaningful update for E4 
.
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So true. Social media and too much YouTube can be so terrible for mental health. Yet those algorithms do all they can to suck you in and keeping you watching and scrolling.
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I also do this, since rediscovering Pokemon last year I’ve gone through this exact cycle. I’m consuming much less content now, and my collection goals have stabilised.
I definitely overspent during that period too. It’s always hard for me to balance my work and hobbies with my life haha. Interestingly though, whilst I would also feel exhausted and almost gross thinking about a hobby which I’d overdone, Pokemon seems to be continuing to retain my interest even if it’s taking up less of my day. I seem to have found a happy medium by chance (check back in a year ha).
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It’s a constant push and pull lol! I feel the same way though: regardless of how badly I burn out, I always end up coming back and rediscovering that enjoyment; every time, a little different, trying to find the proper footing. I’m sure we will lose it again eventually, only to find it again! Cheers!
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Taking a break is perfectly fine. Your goal cards will still be there when you come back. The community is larger than ever so it can trigger FOMO but just disconnect for a while, I haven’t posted in 12 months.
Collect what makes you happy.
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Username checks out! 
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Right there with you! It was so quiet 5+ years ago and now its constant drama and clout. Your patreon videos are a breath of fresh air in this toxic environment! Really need to stop lurking and ask a damn question one day. Been there since Aug 2018
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