Coming off of a 10 year 24/7 vidya passion/addiction, and the only place where people recognized me by my skill and where I had full confidence, so much so that even the few girls that played were into me even with my otherwise blue-pillish self, probably because the passion/confidence/skill was reflected in my personality, it's now kinda hard to find "fun hobbies" after being dopamine-fueled that hard for so long.
Now I'm 19, and nothing compares even after almost two years, it's probably like hardcore drugs on a lesser scale.
Fuck rock climbing, hiking and all these "normal" hobbies, it's not my cup of tea (at least not yet) and frankly, I find them boring. I need something where I can strive to become the best. I need something with strategy, with competition, and something useful unlike Vidya that only helps with making guy friends.
Any ideas?
DochreanSepp 7y ago
Chess, get good and make autistic friends.
moltenw 7y ago
How is getting good at chess more useful than video games?
Perhaps the mental exercise, but other than that, sketchy.
makethemflaunt 7y ago
You need a high-adrenaline sport. Don't do chess. That shit can be legitly addicting and is really no better than vidya.
Look into high adrenaline sports, like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Boxing. Even Crossfit seems to have an adrenaline junky crowd. Also, skateboarding (downhill, or trick-boarding) surfing (preferably big-wave surfing). Lift weights. Plyometrics. Meditate intensively. Travel to other countries. Join the WOOFing program and work on an organic farm anywhere in the world. Go work hospitality in Australia or NZ where the drinking age is 18.
Learn to weld, or to dive. Do something that makes your muscles burn, where the consequence for not paying attention is pain. Pain is your friend in these cases. Find your edge, and live on it.
moltenw 7y ago
I lift and meditate, and while they are cool, I can't exactly say they are my hobbies, since there's no passion/adrenaline when I do them, even if I take them seriously. I treat them more as a neccesity.
I live in eastern europe and I also have no money atm, that's why I'm working on entrepreneurship right now. This also means no surfing.
I do want to try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wouldn't be a bad thing to have a passion for, but we'll see.
All these are somewhat related to physical activity, though. I personally don't really "get" that addictive addrenaline, the one where I constantly want to be the best at something. I'm "competitive" and a perfectionist, sure, but I just can't seem to find something that's strategic, useful, and "FUN" / something I have a passion for.
It's like a missing hole in my plan, there's no "Mission", I have no clue what my passion is. It sucka that I cant even go back and play, because I can't control myself in that aspect to live a balanced life. It's either cold turkey or nothing.
This sucks.
makethemflaunt 7y ago
Good you're searching. Glad to hear you're seriously considering BJJ. Boxing or kickboxing is also good. Anything where the consequences for not paying attention are pain.
The other thing is finding a way to help people and make a positive difference. That is the basis of being an entrepreneur. Find a need and fill it. Find a way to enjoy being productive and moving your life forward. Cultivate appreciation for that kind of pleasure, the way you might cultivate a taste for stinky cheese or something. It may not come right away.
Also, life is not meant to be fun. It is meant to be a struggle. If you think it is meant to be fun. You will have a hard time. It is designed to be a struggle and full of pain and suffering. It's up to you to find a way to make that struggle meaningful. Right now, this feeling of "no mission" is your struggle.
MisterRoid 7y ago
I tried the submission wrestling part of BJJ and while it was fun, I like Greco-Roman wrestling more and would also say it's more natural and useful in a fight.
atticusfinch1973 7y ago
Sports are really your best bet, especially team stuff where you can be a standout player if you get really good at something. Sports are also generally co-ed, even if your team isn't there are lots of female teams.
What about something like adventure racing - you can do it solo or part of a team and have to have skills in multiple areas. And there is a strategy component. I have clients that do hardcore mountain biking and that is full of adrenaline and requires strategy to navigate a course.
bondbandito 7y ago
Entrepreneurship or Debate/Law moot club
MisterRoid 7y ago
I have recently started with Greco-Roman wrestling. It's very fun and seems like a good way for me to improve my stamina on top of that. I'm already pretty strong from going to the gym, so there's carry-over from that for sure. I can strongly recommend you to try it, but at the end of the day you have to find something you enjoy, and not do something solely for the sake of being cool.
gore313 7y ago
How do you find a wrestling gym tho?
MisterRoid 7y ago
It's not mainstream, but there is one in my city (population ~500.000). I have tried BJJ too and would go with that if there was nowhere to train Greco-Roman.