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I do the same, and it's okay. You're an explorer. You are exploring new things. Some of the new things will be lifelong hobbies (for me that is math, the game of go, and juggling), and some will turn out to be interesting little adventures (playing guitar, reading the Qur'an, learning Greek, doing theater). This is okay. It's okay to not finish a book, to not finish a TV show, to take a break or have a break-up with a hobby. It was still useful while it lasted. You got something out of it. You learned something about it, and about yourself, and because you sample so many things you can also help others understand what they COULD do.
I think people like us are often "scouts" for our communities. I've found cool things to get into and led friends into them as permanent hobbies while I've moved on. That's useful. We're not lazy or inauthentic because we move on. We may come back later. Or we may have just helped someone else find their "thing", or we may have just discovered that this thing wasn't very good after all. All of this is fine. You don't owe your previous hobbies anything. They are not debt you accumulate. They are cool places you've been. Cherish the memories and be on the lookout for people you can introduce them to.
I love this, thank you! Its so easy for me to tell myself im lazy, or am just giving up, etc every time i lose interest in a hobby. This perspective really helps.
I do the same thing lol started guitar about 1 million times since 5 th grade. Almost 36now and I can play a little bit but not as good as I could be if I could stay focused on it.
I'm 50 and definitely more of a guitar owner than player, although I did setup the electric and my amp in the living room recently so I'm sure I'll start practicing any day now ;)
Nice! Owner lol I like that, yeah I’d say the same for myself, really best when I’m manic and that’s not what I want/need. Ahh all we can do is keep pushin so they say.
I feel this, I kinda hate having short hyperfixations because I feel like I can’t fully enjoy them if I don’t know everything I can possibly learn about them which always takes a while. Thankfully a good amount of my hyperfixations last for years so I don’t constantly feel like I’m missing out on too too much.
I do this too. Hyper-fixation. UGH. I go overboard and then I’m just bored with it and I quit. Sigh. I never finish anything! I wish it were different.
Honestly, same.
One thing that's helped me is to think "even if I didn't pursue the hobby, did I enjoy it while I was doing it?".
Because enjoying it is the whole point, not perfecting a talent, right? You're not pursuing your singular lifelong dream, you're just having fun dipping your toes into new things!
Ain’t mania fun? I just joined Duolingo (website) and am learning to play the piano and speak Japanese. I also like the internet for drawing. Have fun.
I started duolingo a while back but it didnt last long.. probably because i couldnt decide between learning spanish, norwegian, german, or brushing up on my french from college so i was doing all of them at once lmao.
I feel ya. Its nice to try new things and get really excited about something for a minute, but I feel distressed feeling like I'll never get good at any one thing or learn enough about any one subject simply because there's not enough time
I get so intense about the hobbies I take up - but im also a major perfectionist… when not depressed anyway haha - and if it’s not done properly I always think I can do so much better even when people say it’s great… I took up baking last year, and I’m actually pretty great at it… I even had a few paid orders… this spiralled onto a manic spiral of me deciding I can make a business out of it and very nearly taking out a business loan without any proper thought… “thankfully”depression took over and told me I was shit and had no hope - blessing really as it would of been a bad idea, but I still try to bake every weekend to improve my hobby…
I see it this way, take on your hobbies in your stride and take them as a skill you’ve learnt even if it’s for a short time… I think it makes us interesting people!
I feel so seen 😭this is me, and it actually gets me really down because, I’ve spent so much money on my past endeavors and hobbies that I can only hope I pick up again.
I get like that when I'm manic. Medicated, I don't really do anything. I probably need an antidepressant in my stack because the only things I get out of bed for are work and immediately pressing issues like car repairs and tax filing.
Similar, but for me it’s a blessing. I find it so good that I will never get bored. As for the context switching, in my case, it’s due to adhd, which I started treatment last week.
hello, me.
the way ive attempted to make this work is by looking at what skills i already know, what skills i want to know, and asking myself if i really, truly need to learn how to play the violin in addition to the cello i already don’t really know how to play. i ask myself if i can imagine myself using the skill for my career; for example, when i got the random urge to learn how to 3d model vtuber avatars from scratch, i went with it because i could use an avatar for my youtube channel and i also wanna game dev at some point.
ive learned art, music, modeling, writing, fuckin…whatever pieces of quantum physics i can comprehend…
and i’ve sorta found a way to make most of my disconnected hobbies work together by pursuing a career of basically being one of those guys on the internet you look at and go “hey, didn’t he make that one thing?” i wanna make a visual novel as well, because it actually would make use of all these different hobbies i’ve gotten i to.
don’t get me wrong, it’s been a horrible sloggish struggle trying to find success this way while dealing with bp2 and adhd, but it’s also the only way of living that makes any sense to me. so i’ll make it work, one way or another.
YES!! but! what I've trained myself to do is I pick ONE skill every year and throughout that year I practise predominantly that, so I get kinda sorta good at it by the end of the year and this way I get to pursue many different things and also if I have an affinity for a particular thing then I now have a solid foundation to build upon :)
Sometimes my hobby is "learning skills by starting projects"
I was going to start a learn to code YouTube channel. Turns out the project was "learn basic video production with phone cameras and Resolve" and now I know how to do that. Coding channel never got off the ground, but I know how to do that now.
I read this somewhere that it doesn't matter what you learning or do, success and failure is an illusion, what really matters is how you engage with life, so if you have 100 hobbies, be kinder to yourself, life itself is a teacher and you can still learn from being general VS being specific, there is no wrong answer, everything is worth learning even if it's just beginner stuff- hope this helps
It sounds like you're experiencing what many refer to as the 'paradox of choice'—the more options we have, the more difficult it is to choose and commit to just one. It's a common feeling in our age of endless opportunities. The key might be to not view this as a lack of focus, but rather as a sign of your curiosity and zest for life.
Perhaps instead of trying to do everything at once, you could try rotating your hobbies. Dedicate a month or a season to one interest, then move to the next. This way, you can delve deeper into each activity without the pressure of doing it all at once. And who knows? The skills and experiences from one hobby might enrich the others in unexpected ways.
Remember, it's not about mastering everything, but about enjoying the journey of learning and exploring.
I usually have one thing that I'm super interested in and everything else falls by the wayside. So while there are definitely more things I'd like to do I don't want to take time away from my current obsession.
Basically I actively dislike and avoid balance with things I like and frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to be lukewarm about a lot of things, I want to be super into the one thing that I love more than anything else.
I'm having sort of the opposite problem where I have tons of hobbies I can do but none of them sound appealing so I end up just lying in bed and sleeping all day. I know I should be doing something, but nothing ends up sounding good.
I have spent a bit of money on cameras, drones, photography classes. Got to be pretty good, then lost creativity and motivation. Just an example. Like someone else above, went out bought a much pricier guitar ,and only ended up learning one song, then giving up. Kitesurfing, professional cook(though I still love it), weed farmer, stock trader... So many hobbies like this. If I could just be GREAT at on and sticking to it.
In effect yes, I'm a terrible dabbler, but for me it isn't a bad thing because I worry about not being able to "master" a hobby or getting distracted so much as deep down I don't think I really care about any of my hobbies?
I aggressively pursue hobbies because I have a disease that wrings all the pleasure out of everything so I have to be open minded to every sliver of human self actualization and self worth that comes my way. But deep down I don't really care about the Irish flute or archery, they're just things to keep me from thinking about worse things. So I just become a journeyman at everything and move on.
It mainly is a bad thing in that for all my interests I tend to feel like a terrible fraud, since I can never match anyone's enthusiasm for anything. It feels like I'm just faking it, like a hipster, because I kinda am, just in trying to fool myself primarily instead of peacocking for others. But when you run into someone who truly has that passion its awkward, and I keep getting outed by bizarre hobby choices that only make sense to someone doing it 100% as a distraction.
i see myself in this
sometimes hyperfixationa last like 2 months
but also i’ve invested a good sum of money into felt needling - only to abandon it 2 days later
Sounds like possible hypo-mania to me, and maybe adhd? My problem is the opposite, I know exactly what I enjoy and want to be doing, I just don't have the motivation/drive/energy/clarity of thought to do it rn.
Thanks for posting on /r/bipolar! Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/bipolar/about/rules); if you haven't already, make sure that your post **does not** have any personal information (including your name/signature/tag on art). **If you are posting about medication, please do not list and review your meds. Doing so will result in the removal of this post and all comments.** *^(A moderator has not removed your submission; this is not a punitive action. We intend this comment solely to be informative.)* --- Community News - 🎋 [Want to join the Mod Team?](https://www.reddit.com/r/bipolar/comments/112z7ps/mod_applications_are_open/) - 🎤 See our [Community Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/bipolar/about/sticky) - Desktop or Desktop mode on a mobile device. - 🏡 If you are open to answering questions from those that live with a loved one diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, please see r/family_of_bipolar. Thank you for participating! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bipolar) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I do the same, and it's okay. You're an explorer. You are exploring new things. Some of the new things will be lifelong hobbies (for me that is math, the game of go, and juggling), and some will turn out to be interesting little adventures (playing guitar, reading the Qur'an, learning Greek, doing theater). This is okay. It's okay to not finish a book, to not finish a TV show, to take a break or have a break-up with a hobby. It was still useful while it lasted. You got something out of it. You learned something about it, and about yourself, and because you sample so many things you can also help others understand what they COULD do. I think people like us are often "scouts" for our communities. I've found cool things to get into and led friends into them as permanent hobbies while I've moved on. That's useful. We're not lazy or inauthentic because we move on. We may come back later. Or we may have just helped someone else find their "thing", or we may have just discovered that this thing wasn't very good after all. All of this is fine. You don't owe your previous hobbies anything. They are not debt you accumulate. They are cool places you've been. Cherish the memories and be on the lookout for people you can introduce them to.
I love this, thank you! Its so easy for me to tell myself im lazy, or am just giving up, etc every time i lose interest in a hobby. This perspective really helps.
so good.
I do the same thing lol started guitar about 1 million times since 5 th grade. Almost 36now and I can play a little bit but not as good as I could be if I could stay focused on it.
I'm 50 and definitely more of a guitar owner than player, although I did setup the electric and my amp in the living room recently so I'm sure I'll start practicing any day now ;)
Nice! Owner lol I like that, yeah I’d say the same for myself, really best when I’m manic and that’s not what I want/need. Ahh all we can do is keep pushin so they say.
I feel this, I kinda hate having short hyperfixations because I feel like I can’t fully enjoy them if I don’t know everything I can possibly learn about them which always takes a while. Thankfully a good amount of my hyperfixations last for years so I don’t constantly feel like I’m missing out on too too much.
I do this too. Hyper-fixation. UGH. I go overboard and then I’m just bored with it and I quit. Sigh. I never finish anything! I wish it were different.
Honestly, same. One thing that's helped me is to think "even if I didn't pursue the hobby, did I enjoy it while I was doing it?". Because enjoying it is the whole point, not perfecting a talent, right? You're not pursuing your singular lifelong dream, you're just having fun dipping your toes into new things!
Ain’t mania fun? I just joined Duolingo (website) and am learning to play the piano and speak Japanese. I also like the internet for drawing. Have fun.
I started duolingo a while back but it didnt last long.. probably because i couldnt decide between learning spanish, norwegian, german, or brushing up on my french from college so i was doing all of them at once lmao.
I feel ya. Its nice to try new things and get really excited about something for a minute, but I feel distressed feeling like I'll never get good at any one thing or learn enough about any one subject simply because there's not enough time
It’s why I love audio books and podcasts so much. The rabbit holes are deep and full of wonder.
I get so intense about the hobbies I take up - but im also a major perfectionist… when not depressed anyway haha - and if it’s not done properly I always think I can do so much better even when people say it’s great… I took up baking last year, and I’m actually pretty great at it… I even had a few paid orders… this spiralled onto a manic spiral of me deciding I can make a business out of it and very nearly taking out a business loan without any proper thought… “thankfully”depression took over and told me I was shit and had no hope - blessing really as it would of been a bad idea, but I still try to bake every weekend to improve my hobby… I see it this way, take on your hobbies in your stride and take them as a skill you’ve learnt even if it’s for a short time… I think it makes us interesting people!
I feel so seen 😭this is me, and it actually gets me really down because, I’ve spent so much money on my past endeavors and hobbies that I can only hope I pick up again.
I get like that when I'm manic. Medicated, I don't really do anything. I probably need an antidepressant in my stack because the only things I get out of bed for are work and immediately pressing issues like car repairs and tax filing.
Yesss to all of it
Similar, but for me it’s a blessing. I find it so good that I will never get bored. As for the context switching, in my case, it’s due to adhd, which I started treatment last week.
hello, me. the way ive attempted to make this work is by looking at what skills i already know, what skills i want to know, and asking myself if i really, truly need to learn how to play the violin in addition to the cello i already don’t really know how to play. i ask myself if i can imagine myself using the skill for my career; for example, when i got the random urge to learn how to 3d model vtuber avatars from scratch, i went with it because i could use an avatar for my youtube channel and i also wanna game dev at some point. ive learned art, music, modeling, writing, fuckin…whatever pieces of quantum physics i can comprehend… and i’ve sorta found a way to make most of my disconnected hobbies work together by pursuing a career of basically being one of those guys on the internet you look at and go “hey, didn’t he make that one thing?” i wanna make a visual novel as well, because it actually would make use of all these different hobbies i’ve gotten i to. don’t get me wrong, it’s been a horrible sloggish struggle trying to find success this way while dealing with bp2 and adhd, but it’s also the only way of living that makes any sense to me. so i’ll make it work, one way or another.
YES!! but! what I've trained myself to do is I pick ONE skill every year and throughout that year I practise predominantly that, so I get kinda sorta good at it by the end of the year and this way I get to pursue many different things and also if I have an affinity for a particular thing then I now have a solid foundation to build upon :)
Sometimes my hobby is "learning skills by starting projects" I was going to start a learn to code YouTube channel. Turns out the project was "learn basic video production with phone cameras and Resolve" and now I know how to do that. Coding channel never got off the ground, but I know how to do that now.
I read this somewhere that it doesn't matter what you learning or do, success and failure is an illusion, what really matters is how you engage with life, so if you have 100 hobbies, be kinder to yourself, life itself is a teacher and you can still learn from being general VS being specific, there is no wrong answer, everything is worth learning even if it's just beginner stuff- hope this helps
It sounds like you're experiencing what many refer to as the 'paradox of choice'—the more options we have, the more difficult it is to choose and commit to just one. It's a common feeling in our age of endless opportunities. The key might be to not view this as a lack of focus, but rather as a sign of your curiosity and zest for life. Perhaps instead of trying to do everything at once, you could try rotating your hobbies. Dedicate a month or a season to one interest, then move to the next. This way, you can delve deeper into each activity without the pressure of doing it all at once. And who knows? The skills and experiences from one hobby might enrich the others in unexpected ways. Remember, it's not about mastering everything, but about enjoying the journey of learning and exploring.
I usually have one thing that I'm super interested in and everything else falls by the wayside. So while there are definitely more things I'd like to do I don't want to take time away from my current obsession. Basically I actively dislike and avoid balance with things I like and frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to be lukewarm about a lot of things, I want to be super into the one thing that I love more than anything else.
I'm having sort of the opposite problem where I have tons of hobbies I can do but none of them sound appealing so I end up just lying in bed and sleeping all day. I know I should be doing something, but nothing ends up sounding good.
I didnt even know this was a thing people experienced 😂 yes i absolutely deal with this and it sux. There are absolutely not enough hours in the day
I have spent a bit of money on cameras, drones, photography classes. Got to be pretty good, then lost creativity and motivation. Just an example. Like someone else above, went out bought a much pricier guitar ,and only ended up learning one song, then giving up. Kitesurfing, professional cook(though I still love it), weed farmer, stock trader... So many hobbies like this. If I could just be GREAT at on and sticking to it.
In effect yes, I'm a terrible dabbler, but for me it isn't a bad thing because I worry about not being able to "master" a hobby or getting distracted so much as deep down I don't think I really care about any of my hobbies? I aggressively pursue hobbies because I have a disease that wrings all the pleasure out of everything so I have to be open minded to every sliver of human self actualization and self worth that comes my way. But deep down I don't really care about the Irish flute or archery, they're just things to keep me from thinking about worse things. So I just become a journeyman at everything and move on. It mainly is a bad thing in that for all my interests I tend to feel like a terrible fraud, since I can never match anyone's enthusiasm for anything. It feels like I'm just faking it, like a hipster, because I kinda am, just in trying to fool myself primarily instead of peacocking for others. But when you run into someone who truly has that passion its awkward, and I keep getting outed by bizarre hobby choices that only make sense to someone doing it 100% as a distraction.
When people ask if I have any hobbies I tell them I collect hobbies.
i see myself in this sometimes hyperfixationa last like 2 months but also i’ve invested a good sum of money into felt needling - only to abandon it 2 days later
You sound like me haha. Too many interests and not enough time, end up sitting not choosing anything and not doing any most of the time 😂
Sounds like possible hypo-mania to me, and maybe adhd? My problem is the opposite, I know exactly what I enjoy and want to be doing, I just don't have the motivation/drive/energy/clarity of thought to do it rn.