As I’m writing this piece, a headache is roaring through my head. It is the result, probably, of allergies, but there’s a voice in my mind that says nope, it’s not that. It’s actually because of all the stress and bad decisions that have crept up on me and today, finally, reared their ugly heads.
I’ve been MIA for the last two weeks or so—maybe you didn’t know notice here because of all the fine articles by our other BtT writers—mostly due to vacation. But increasingly, I’m not able to enjoy vacations. When you’re an adult, and a parent, they become hard because you’re in charge of all the fun…which is not fun at all.
But more than that, obligations weighed on my mind. I’m in a position at work now where I’m never really on break, which is usually okay with me. But this much time away has left a lot of time-sensitive items on my desk, and the pressure to complete it, combined with a perfect storm of family life stuff (family illnesses, babies on the way, church responsibilities), have put me in a sulky mood.
Add to that a most unusual pressure—the desire to watch new anime episodes for fear of missing out (FOMO), and further, because I want stuff to write about! But at home, there’s nothing less I want to do than to watch the most recent episodes of shows that I’m not really crazy about, like After the Rain, Darling in the Franxx, and Cardcaptor Sakura, and I don’t want to think too hard and analyze shows I am really enjoying, like March Comes in Like a Lion and Silver Spoon (rewatch) so that I can have material on which to write.
I think the answer to all this is time. I’ve carved out a life where I try not to take on too much, or rather, where I take on just a little too much, just enough to challenge myself and push myself into being a better person. Once I get back to that, to the old norm, I’ll be okay. But I also realize this—when life is a bit out of control, I really want to control it, and right now I can’t. My hope is that this time, as overwhelming as it feels, leads to good, to a surrender I know I need to give, of myself and my pride. That’s the bigger fear to conquer, and one, thankfully, that happens when I choose not to conquer it at all.
I had massive FOMO near the beginning of this year, but then I eventually realized that there was no possible way that I could keep up with every anime and manga that I wanted to, and instead just decided to enjoy a few series at a time, and catch up on others later. Reading reviews for recent manga and anime actually helps out a lot, because most of the time I can tell which series I need to prioritize. One series that I’m really glad that I read when it released is The Greatest Wolf of My Life. It’s a romcom series that came out earlier this year that centers around three main characters, an average girl, a kpop star and a famous webtoon artist. Unlike a lot of other romance series that I’ve read, this series managed to be engaging without relying too much on drama. I’ve been invested in it since it came out, and I’m so excited to see who the female lead is going to end up with!
Thanks for sharing, Kris! It’s so easy to get swept away with all the anime and manga, especially with so many series accessible these days. I’m glad you’ve found resolution for that and are focused on series that you really enjoy!
I had been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of anime I want to watch, so l’ve decided to take a break, from anime,anime songs and just most of my interests in general. University life is hectic.
I’m new to this site and scrolling through I’ve seen a few spoilerish blog posts and I’m trying to be cautious.
Sometimes a break is good, indeed.
We try to mark spoilers within our posts. However, if a post tackles a specific episode of a series, which is usually noted in the title or very early in the article, you should expect spoilers from that episode and thus, up to it.
Thanks for joining us!
[…] (TWWK) wrote a great article at Beneath the Tangles about not letting stress and the fear of missing out (FOMO) get the best of […]
I’m sorry for all the stuff you’re dealing with. I’ll pray for you if you’d like.
Thank you, Rachel. Life is starting to get back to normal these days, thank God! But prayer is always, always appreciated!
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