Nothing wrong with outgrowing hobbies 

Last week, we talked about entertainment burnout, a condition where you consume so much entertainment for so long that it loses its appeal.

However, we ignored one crucial question. What if that passion never returns? What if you have simply outgrown that particular entertainment medium? If you can outgrow shoes, clothes, friends, and even family members, why wouldn’t you outgrow video games, movies, board games, anime, comics, and the like?

The idea scares some of you because your hobbies and interests are intimately intertwined with your identity. I would discourage you from taking drastic steps before properly investigating your condition.

First of all, what happens when you engage in your hobbies? Are you bored?

That should simply encourage you to pursue the hobby at a higher level. For instance, if you normally play video games for fun, find a stable internet connection and start playing competitively online. Better yet, get some friends, form an e-sports team, and join the biggest e-sports events in the world. You stand to win millions of dollars in cash prizes.

If YA novels don’t hold your attention like they did during your teenage years, switch to grimdark fantasy or classical literature. Secondly, what happens when you ignore your hobbies? What if you go days without watching anime or playing Dungeons and Dragons with your friends? If you feel like something is missing, you are probably burnt out.

However, if you don’t miss them despite the absence, you have outgrown them. You can reach the same conclusion if your hobbies start feeling like a chore. But again, those symptoms should compel you to dig further.

Hobbies can feel like a chore for various reasons. For instance, some people are busy. If you have more responsibilities than you can juggle (work, school, family, etc.), your hobbies are going to suffer.

You haven’t outgrown them; you are too physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted to do anything else. If your responsibilities are manageable but your hobbies are still falling by the wayside, you can’t rule out laziness. I can’t tell you the number of times I have felt bored and yet couldn’t bring myself to pick up a novel or a gaming controller.

This goes back to the question I raised earlier. What do you feel after a long absence from a hobby? If you miss it even when that activity feels like a chore, you haven’t outgrown it. You’re just lazy. You may gain further insight into your predicament by considering the origins of your hobby. Some people do things because of the social element.

For instance, you may watch a TV show because you love the conversations that ensue between you and your friends at school the next day.
Once those friends drift away, your interest in TV will disappear with them. Or maybe you have strong memories of playing video games with your siblings in your parent’s home.

But once you moved out, video games lost their appeal because the social aspect was gone. Find another community with a new set of hobbies to enjoy. Your priority is the people, not the hobby.

That said, don’t let anyone talk you into believing that you are too old to play video games or watch cartoons. Do you know what I was doing in my mid-twenties? I was buying remote-controlled toy cars and driving them through obstacle courses I had created in my sitting room. You should not be ashamed of the things you love.

At the same time, don’t force yourself to engage in activities you no longer enjoy.

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