Emotional Support Hobby
Short post this week as my brain is quite fried!
I love learning Japanese so much. There is literally always something I can do that enriches my day no matter what mood I am in.
Between putting a ton of pressure on myself to get good at another hobby, and a bit of a scare in the family a week ago, I don't know where I'd be without my emotional support hobby of learning Japanese.
With regards to the pressure on myself, I know in my heart that it'll just take time. Hopefully not as long as it took me to get where I'm at now with Japanese, but the same principles apply. Put effort in, receive payoff. It's definitely not a linear process. I'll make mistakes and forget things, just like I did with Japanese. But eventually I'll look back and see how far I came. I have a sort of "achieve N1"-like style goal for my gaming hobby, so we'll see if I'll be able to accomplish it. I think I can, as long as I chill out a bit and keep making tiny steps.
The family scares are always hard. Notably, a death in my family back in 2021 is what got me to take Japanese seriously again. Last week, focusing on Japanese helped me to stay calm while I waited for more information about a family member who had gotten into an accident. I finished what ended up being my 100th book this year, よるのばけもの, and did a few new cards in Anki.
There's just this like zen-mode I enter when I sit down to read during a stressful time. There's a few techniques I use to bring myself back to earth after a PTSD episode, and honestly this feels similar when it comes to stress and anxiety. I sit down. I read. I parse the words on the page, make notes of anything new, and keep going.
Anki absolutely helps too. I flip through my flashcards to help keep me grounded. Every frontside has a backside with the right answer, so let's just focus on that. Breathe. Remember. Grade. Move on to the next. Keep going.
Having my personal goals for each month for Japanese has also been super helpful. Oh you're feeling a bit down right now? It's okay, watching Tearmoon Empire can actually get you further to a goal. You're not just watching it because you're sad. There's more purpose than just that!! Though quite frankly I'd be fine if that was the only reason I was watching anime haha.
Maybe this is a bit dramatic, but I also don't really care. I'm so happy that I have something that keeps me calm when I need it most. And good lord did I need it this past week and a half or so.
I'll have an August check-in for you at the very start of September. My post timings may be thrown off slightly, but the goal is still going to be two posts a month.
Be safe and well everyone, and see you next time!
I relate to this so much! The first half of this year was very hard on me mentally, but through it all learning japanese was the one thing that kept me going. I am a chronic overthinker, so just putting my mind on pause and filling it with japanese was so calming at the worst times. Not to be dramatic, but at those times it made me feel like even when everything else was going wrong, I had this one thing that made me happy. Thank you for the post!