YouAlberta
So often do we get swept up in the whirlwind of university that we forget to take breaks and do things aside from work, work work. Speaking from my experience, I have definitely fallen into that hole of being consumed in what feels like endless piles of school work, sacrificing time to relax and simply do an activity — not for the sake of professional development or yielding some reward, but just simply for leisure.
But recently, I picked a hobby back up that I had long tucked away into the drawers of my heart: the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Yes, that’s right, those cards with cute creatures you’d trade with your friends during recess in elementary school. Back in 2016, I had gone from simply collecting the cards to playing the game and found myself hooked on it. Before long, I began attending regional and provincial tournaments and competing amongst others who loved the game. Those memories were some of my fondest; I made friends and met a community of people who shared a common passion with me.
After a couple of years, I found myself overtaken by work, and as time slipped by, so did this hobby, which I locked into a chest and left in a corner of my room. Though I was still drawn to going out and playing this game, the connection flickered and as it gradually faded, I prioritized things that I thought were “more important”: school, work, extracurriculars and the like. Furthermore, though I tried venturing back into it and dipping my toes back into the game, I felt too far removed and couldn’t seem to muster up the effort to commit time back to it — time that was much needed in my stressful schedule of life.
Before long, eight long years had passed, and it was just this December that my friend, Derek, who I had played with back in the day, told me that he had recently got back into the game. Immediately, once I had heard this, I yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me?!” and started going with him to HPW Cards, a local league near us.
Though at first, I was a bit nervous about the prospects of relearning the game and the meta, it was like riding a bicycle after a long, long time. Within a couple of hours, I was completely acclimated and refamiliarized with everything. It all came so naturally that I had thought to myself, “Why didn’t I just do it?” It didn’t actually take that much effort to take the dive, and yet, I put off so many years that could have been spent perfecting my craft and honing my skills in this hobby that I loved so much.
Sure, there were barriers. When I was younger, I didn’t have the same money, freedom or mobility as I do now. But even then, realistically, I could’ve pushed myself more to do that hobby. Thankfully, seeing my friend do so spontaneously was a catalyst for me to follow.
And then I realized; I had devalued my passions.
Or at least, I devalued the passions that I didn’t see as particularly fruitful enough. Things that I didn’t see as resume-worthy material, like speech and debate or club activities. As much as I loved playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game, feeding the resume became more important to me than feeding the soul.
Of course, that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with doing things that you may conventionally see as beneficial to your career. But it’s important to remember that productivity doesn’t come in just one form; doing things for your own leisure is productive in itself and can help fuel your productivity. Furthermore, even the things that you don’t think are particularly helpful for your career can be surprisingly valuable if framed the right way.
In the case of playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game, it’s something that I’ve found as a relaxing way to spend a few hours a week and hang out with friends (shoutout to Derek, Ethan, Trystan, Sean and Jaida!) and just focus on playing without the worries of studying and work. Truly, the time I spend playing has been carefree and relaxing, a welcome departure from the everyday stresses of my life. When you’re constantly neck-deep in endless amounts of work, it’s no wonder why one would get stressed and overwhelmed. But having these opportunities to take these breaths of air allows me to look at my work with a fresh perspective and a more level head. And while being in the zone can be helpful when it comes to work, breaking that immersion and allowing myself to be free from it gives me the motivation to get back at it stronger than ever.
Additionally, when I look back retrospectively on when I used to play when I was younger and evaluating my experiences now, I realize that there was so much I had gained from playing. Valuable skills that seemed incompatible with the idea of “play” were actually integrated into it. I learned how to be a competitive player, learning the jargon of the field, facing off against other great players and engaging in exciting and fun matches. I learned sportsmanship, being able to accept losses gracefully and building strong connections with other players and the community. I learned how to be flexible, adapting to situations by responding to my opponent’s moves and making split-second decisions that could win me the game – all of these skills that, truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve learned outside of this hobby because they were unique to this facet of my life.
So, ultimately, I have come to learn to appreciate not just self-care but simply the act of doing something for the act itself more than I did before. Not everything requires a rationale to do, and more often than not, there will be benefits that may not be obvious at first glance. Your passions are worth it simply because they are your passions. So, if you feel deterred from doing something just for the sake of it, I encourage you to just have fun because even from just fun, you can grow in ways you might not expect.