Hobby Fatigue?

I find that having a collecting focus helps to mitigate burnout and balance your energy with other hobbies. I think what bogs people down is having a never-ending rabbit hole of collection additions such that youā€™re constantly thinking about them and whatā€™s next. Maybe try setting a single goal and set up some alerts so you can check in on it every so often while focusing more on another hobby. Over time something might happen that will bring collecting back into the spotlight and itā€™ll feel fresh again even though youā€™ll have still somewhat kept up with it over time.

What works for me is having high-level collection goals that require several weeks/months of saving money. That way I donā€™t grow tired of weekly purchases coming with the mail, and instead keep every collection addition a special ocurrence every few months.

1 Like

I will never get bored or sick of collecting. There is so many amazing cards in this hobby! Once I finish one collection goal I proceed to the next. Some of these cards are so expensive it will take months to save up for. (1st edition base, complete gold star collection all in high grades.) I havnt started this goal yet but once I do it will take ages. Currently finishing a huge graded set. Down to last 12 holoā€™s. Iā€™ve been working on this about three months or so. Binder collecting is a lot easier and also a ton of fun! I had a blast putting together my binder sets! There will always be something to keep me busy. Iā€™ve also been keeping up with modern secret rares or better before Champions Path came out. Pokemon has been really shooting out these new sets once a month to two months which seems kind of quick to me.

Maybe work on improving their print quality before moving onto producing the next set? Their quality control has been horrible sense the beginning. Sure itā€™s got better over the years. But cards are still coming out of the box damaged. Or horrible off center. Itā€™s almost like they do it on purpose not giving a crap.

Might just be overdoing it within the day. Throw your phone on airplane mode at 8PM or something similar. Make sure that youā€™re not filling your time with low-quality engagement. Sometimes that can spoil the whole hobby.

But also: donā€™t force it. Nothing wrong with taking breaks at all.

12 Likes

Hereā€™s my opinion on what you could have.

ADHD/OCD combined type. There is such a thing. I know because I have it. Was diagnosed with that and a few other things lol. Was Surprised to hear of the different diagnosis given to me when I talked to my Dr, but Iā€™m glad I did. Medication does wonders lol. I used to get exactly like you, maybe even worse. From one thing to another and I circle back around eventually. Extreme highā€¦extreme low.

I guess like a lot of these members on here have said and have told me; sometimes you gotta take a little break from whatever it is. Seems to help.

Since Iā€™m not as bad as I used to be; like you are now, Iā€™ve narrowed it down to 3 things. If I get tired of one I switch to the other 2ā€¦comics or Michael Jordan cards. and THATā€™S IT.

If I go out of that realm, I reel myself back in. I always end up circling back around in a 360ā€¦

Itā€™s worked for me.

2 Likes

You are not the only one asking this :blush:
I feel this is a very legitamte thing going on with a lot of people currently.

www.elitefourum.com/t/burned-out-anyone-else-going-through-this/30403/1

www.elitefourum.com/t/how-do-you-not-get-burned-out-of-pokemon-card-collecting/29104/1

I made a video on this topic and posted it in both those threads already so Iā€™ll avoid posting it here again.
Iā€™d recommend taking a look at those 2 threads since they cover a lot already!

2 Likes

You might need a Yanma Check.

But in all seriousness, it happens. I once disappeared from the forums for about 2 years if I recall correctly.

Know that your change doesnā€™t have to be as big as leaving the hobby/forums for an extended period of time. Granted, if you do, know that you will be received with open arms. There are a few, like myself, who have left and come back and it felt more or less like little had changed - people were still interested in what others had to share and sometimes itā€™s nice seeing new and familiar faces alike. Leaving only to eventually return can give new life to the hobby.

Change your focus a bit, set a schedule or routine where you control the amount of time you spend on the hobby. Your life needs nourishment and sometimes the best way to do that is develop a new hobby, breath new life into an old one, do something planned with friends/family, or just add walks to your schedule so you can re-adjust your perspective.

Burn out happens and weā€™re experiencing a moment in Pokemon history where it seems like Pokemon is EVERYWHERE. I havenā€™t seen this much publicity since Pokemon Go, and before that? Back when Pokemon was released to the US. So itā€™s understandable why burn out is talked about so much more often than before.

At the end of the day, we are humans with human needs. And a lot of the time, we just need some variety, a new focus, or a breath of fresh air.

Or just win the lottery and buy everything you ever dreamed of until the next set/promo/etc. is declared.

2 Likes

It is normal, you just need to find your true passion

I experience some fatigue when buying & chasing cards for the collection. For me it has a lot to do with the ongoing optimization of more and more aspects & niches. In 2020 it got exponentially harder to find cards that got overlooked and to find deals not relative to market value, but in ā€œcollectorā€™s valueā€. Itā€™s not enough anymore to browse for a card once a week at most - you have to adapt to the optimization to compete, and that created stress/anxiety for me & took away the a bit of the fun of the process of buying. When Japan released a cool promo in 2018, it was ā€œnice, maybe when I sell something in a couple of months Iā€™ll pick up a copy or twoā€. Now, every new release that may not even be as limited brings more potential fomo each time and sometimes the stress outweighs the excitement in the short term.

In the end itā€™s just increased demand. So, right now, Iā€™m trying to adapt in perspective and expectations first, rather than in optimization. Also donā€™t get me wrong, this one aspect is not outweighing the fun I have with the hobby. :blush:

1 Like

I actually was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and my wife says that I am super OCD when it comes to my collections especially when it comes to storage. I havenā€™t been prescribed anything since I was a child and that was Ritalin. My biggest problem is the lull between interests. Itā€™s like having a ton of stuff I COULD do but nothing I WANT to do. It wouldnā€™t be so much of a problem if I didnā€™t have so much free time to be honest lol

1 Like

@zorloth, I wish I had that dedication (and shelf space lol)

@odnihs, I try, but I always find a new rabbit hole to go down. Which was honestly fun. I donā€™t know why it gets old.

@funmonkey54, Overdoing it is kind of the point with me. I have a pretty good bit of free time in the day and I would go crazy just sitting there watching TV or something. I always need a project or goal, something valid that I can make progress toward in my spare time. When I donā€™t have something keeping my interest I tend to get frustrated.

@azulryu, Yea if you check my collection page my last break was for three years. I actually just started my collection page and then just *poof* I completely forgot about everything and went on to the next thing. Then COVID happened and I figured ā€œwhy not check eBay and see the collector pins I missedā€ cut to now lol

@papafrankgod, My TRUE passion is my wife and children. I am a stay-at-home Dad so I have some spare time and I have to fill it somehow otherwise Iā€™d go nuts.

2 Likes

I experienced fatigue as well, at several points within the last year alone, mostly caused by chasing high value WotC cards and other rare cards I need for the collection. However, with constant price spikes and daily highs, looking for these cards became tedious and stressful, and even if I found a card I was after, most of the time I just couldnā€™t pull the trigger, for whatever reason.

My solution? Adjust my short-term collection goals. I decided to shift attention to the era most nostalgic and enjoyable for me, and it is far cheaper than WotC. So far its been great - I am genuinely interested in my goals at the moment, and despite being on the cheaper end, they provide a decent challenge as well. I am much, much happier!

1 Like

Hold up! Is that a symptom of ADHD? That is exactly how I feel and I couldnā€™t put it in much better terms. I constantly feel stressed even when Iā€™m not doing nothing. I call myself a gamer but I even stopped play games. Because I could do it but I just donā€™t wanna. There are so many similar things.

Youā€™ve done a great job with your collection recently, nothing wrong with putting things on pause and appreciating what youā€™ve done up to this point.

1 Like

I get fatigued buying all the time, its probably for the best to take breaks from time to time, I made the horrible mistake 4 years ago selling my collection, and over the last several months worked hard on acquiring cards that I sold in my collection. Its something everyone goes through at one point or another, donā€™t let it consume you.

There was a point last year where I thought I was flat out done. I took a break, and in a few months I was collecting again. Itā€™s healthy to take a breather during those times when your passion is low. Strike when your heart is in it.

Could also be a little depression mixed in as well. Iā€™m not Dr. PokĆ©mon by any means, but I can relate because of my diagnosis and experiences. I bet there are several on here that have it as well.

1 Like

Definitely falling into these categories a bit. Itā€™s important to identify and try to critique your lifestyle if it lends to exacerbating some kinks in certain humansā€™ nature

Youā€™re a butterfly.

I hate butterflies.