Hobby Education: Knowing Your Limits Within The Hobby

Look up hobby in the dictionary, and you'll find something to the effect of an activity pursued in one's spare time for relaxation or enjoyment. Analyze the definition all you like, and you won't find a single thing bad about it. In truth, hobbies are entirely a good thing. Some would even say hobbies are essential. At the same time, it's entirely too easy at times to take a hobby a little too far. This is particularly true in the world of trading cards.

Before reading on, the first thing to know is that this article is being written by a hobby journalist, not a professional mental health counselor. In other words, if you have any concerns that your hobby is treading into unhealthy territory, please consider checking in with a licensed professional. Counseling is not only available and helpful but generally covered by most insurance or workplace EAP benefits. With that out of the way, here are at least some of the warning signs that your trading card hobby has either crossed the line or is creeping dangerously close to an unhealthy habit.

Mood

Going back to the definition of a hobby, the whole point is the positive feelings it brings, pleasure and calm being prime examples. However, most hobbies offer their share of negatives as well.

What collector hasn't been annoyed with themselves for losing out on an auction, selling a card before it got red hot, or spending way too much at a card show? Or maybe that card they subbed, hoping it would gem, comes back an 8. Disappointment happens. It's part of life. File away your minor hobby disappointments as just that, and you're probably fine.

Relationships

No matter how much you love trading cards, the people in your life are far more important. Full stop. Fortunately, there is nothing incompatible about being a collector and having friends, being a parent, or being in a relationship. For the most part, the people in your life are glad you have hobbies. They support you. Still, there are times when it can be tempting for collectors to put their cards ahead of the people in their lives.

Activities of Daily Living

Activities of daily living, abbreviated ADL, include things like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, remembering to eat, and doing laundry. They can also include even more serious responsibilities, like going to work or picking up the kids from school. When a hobby is (mostly) confined to leisure time, there is no conflict with any of these activities. On the other hand, it is all too easy for trading card collectors to get so involved in the hobby activities that they totally whiff on these basics.

None of this is to say a collector can't have some "me time." The key, as always, is to not let that time get in the way of more important things.

Finances

For many collectors, the earliest warning signs of a hobby gone too far are financial ones. Rent is due, or some bills come in that the collector can't afford to pay. Maybe a credit card gets maxed out, and half the charges are for trading cards. One of the easiest things to do as a collector is overspend, hoping that everything will be fine. As is often said, however, hope is not a strategy.

Summary

When done right, card collecting can be one of the best hobbies in the world. As cool as the cards are in their own right, collecting also opens the door to relationships and friendships that may even outlast the hobby itself. Keeping your collecting in check, therefore, isn't about raining on any parades. Rather, it's about keeping the hobby fun.

Stay in the hobby long enough, and there will absolutely be times when some unhealthy behaviors become at least tempting. On a good day, armed with the right warning signs, you can keep things under control on your own. But on a bad day or whenever things feel out of hand, it's important to know that support is there. And most definitely, you're not even close to being alone in such struggles.

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