Are you so addicted to anime (Japanese animated films) that you can't stop watching it every day? You may start spending money on digital versatile discs (digital versatile discs or DVDs), manga (Japanese comics), action figures, and anime conventions. Your academic performance at school may start to decline and you may start to leave your social life behind in order to continue watching your favorite anime series. You realize that you have to stop watching anime. However, you don't know how. This article will offer some tips and suggestions that can help you break this addiction.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Symptoms of Anime Addiction
Step 1. Determine how much you depend on Anime to make yourself happy
If you can't determine whether you're addicted to anime or just interested in watching it, try to remember how disappointed you were when you weren't able to watch anime. One of the signs of addiction is getting a big disappointment when it fails to fulfill your desires. If you're angry about being punished for missing an episode or getting news that an anime episode's release date has been postponed, you may be addicted to anime. If failing to watch anime makes you sad, chances are you've become addicted.
Step 2. Determine if you have an emotional attachment to anime or not
Do you dedicate your life to watching anime? If you're feeling indecisive, you may need to take a moment to reflect and try to see your behavior from a different perspective. Think about the following questions to determine how much emotional attachment you have to anime:
- Are you more interested in anime characters than real people? There's nothing wrong with having a favorite anime character. However, if you start to have a strong emotional attachment to a fictional character and reject all relationships with real people, that's not good for you. Fictional characters can't give the same love and care that real people do.
- Have you ever been involved in a serious fight caused by anime? It doesn't matter if you disagree with someone's opinion or discuss theories about anime characters or plots as long as you can do so in an adult manner. However, if you love anime so much that it makes you protective and possessive and rails against those who don't like it, your obsession with anime is probably unhealthy. Such an attitude can damage your friendship.
Step 3. Find out if anime affects the way you socially interact with other people
Do you often talk and act like your favorite anime character or use too many Japanese words to resemble your favorite character? Anime, like other cartoons, have exaggerated storylines, characters, and dialogue. The things shown in anime or cartoons are often inappropriate in everyday life. You may not mind being treated as an anime character. However, other people may be offended if you treat them the same way anime characters treat other characters. Some people may see your attitude as confusing or annoying. As such, they may not take your behavior seriously.
Step 4. Know how much money is spent on this hobby
Do you spend so much money on anime-related things that you can't afford daily necessities, such as food, clothes, school supplies, or rent? Make a chart on paper and make sections, such as "Anime", "Food", "Clothing", and "School Supplies". Each time you buy an item related to that category, write down how much money you spent on that item. Write down the amount of money allocated to each category. After that, take a look at the amount of money spent by you for each category.
- If most of your money is used to buy anime-related things, you may be addicted to anime.
- If you're deducting your money for food, clothing, and other necessities in order to buy anime-related things, you may have become addicted to anime.
Step 5. Know how much time you spend watching anime
Some people may accuse you of being addicted to anime. However, is it true that you are really addicted? Knowing how much time you spend watching anime and how much time you spend doing other activities can help you figure out if you are really addicted or not.
- Do you refuse a friend's invitation to go out with him to watch anime? Being an introvert is not a bad thing. However, ignoring your friends in favor of watching anime can damage your friendship with them. If you choose to watch anime over activities with friends, you may have become addicted to anime.
- Do you spend all your time on sleep deprivation, neglecting your health and personal hygiene? If you spend so much time watching anime that you don't shower and eat regularly (eating Pocky is easier than cutting an apple to eat it), you may start to feel tired and lethargic. As a result, you will also start to get sick more often.
- Does anime affect your academic performance? After school, do you do your homework or watch your favorite anime. Maintaining academic standing is very important because some universities and jobs require you to have certain grades or GPAs.
- Are you giving up other hobbies and replacing them with watching anime? Did you previously enjoy playing ball or the piano, but stopped doing so in order to have more time to watch anime? If so, you may be addicted to anime.
Part 2 of 3: Staying away from Anime
Step 1. Try to limit the time allotted for watching anime
You don't have to stop watching anime completely. Instead, instead of watching every day, try to watch every few days or once a week. If you watch anime for a few hours almost every day, try following these steps:
If you watch several episodes of anime in one week or even one night, try limiting it to one episode a night or several episodes a week
Step 2. Try to limit the number of anime shows you watch
If you have the urge to watch an entire anime show, try to fight that urge. Some shows have multiple seasons (a term used to refer to a series of episodes of a movie or television show that are released over a certain time span) and require you to spend a lot of time watching them. Pick only one or two shows that really interest you and don't add any other shows to your watch list. You don't have to watch the entire show to be an anime fan.
Step 3. Consider stopping watching anime for some time
You can stop watching anime for a while by not watching anime or reading any manga for some time. Try to stop watching anime for a week and see how you are doing after that. You may be surprised that you find other activities and interests that can replace your enjoyment of anime.
Step 4. Use anime to reward yourself
Consider doing some other unpleasant work before watching the anime. This will not only reduce your addiction, but also make watching anime a more enjoyable activity. Here are some suggestions that can help you:
- Don't watch anime until you've done all your homework. However, you should not stay up late to watch anime. This can encourage you not to procrastinate and get things done faster. If you have so much work that you can't find time to watch anime, you can watch it another day when you don't have much to do.
- Watch anime on the weekends. Your desire to watch anime will increase every day until the end of the week. However, you can get a lot of work done on a weekday.
- Finish all the homework first. Tell yourself that you can watch the anime after completing the task. You can get the job done quickly and you'll get the nice reward of watching anime.
Step 5. Reduce purchases of anime-related items
Do you buy pins, action figures, bags, stickers, and other items just to add to your collection? Or do you buy these things because you really like or need them? If you're buying these items just to add to your collection, consider the following questions:
- Do you really need it? A new bag with a picture of your favorite character might help you when you're shopping for school supplies. However, you may not really need the action figures created by Funko Pop. If you don't have much money, buy things you really need.
- Do you like the stuff? Instead of buying things because they relate to your favorite anime, try not to buy them and save money on things you really like.
- What is this item used for? Some items, such as glasses, watches, bags, and clothes, are useful for your daily life. However, other items, such as action figures, stickers, or pins, have only a decorative function. You can manage your addiction by buying things that you really want to use, not just to look at.
Step 6. Try to stay away from anime fan websites and remove them from Bookmarks
Reducing the amount of time you spend watching anime probably won't do much to break your addiction. Visiting anime fan websites and discussing your favorite shows will only fill your mind with a lot of anime related stuff. You can manage addiction by not revisiting the website. You can prevent the urge to watch anime from popping up by not discussing your favorite shows.
Step 7. Have the ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality
It's perfectly natural to have a strong emotional bond with your favorite show character. You don't have to feel ashamed about that. However, if that emotional bond makes you fall in love with a fictional character, it can leave you feeling confused, embarrassed, and frustrated with your life. Remind yourself that anime is an unreal work of fiction created by a group of writers and animators. The world and anime characters cannot replace the world you live in and the people in your life.
Try to get out of the house now and find something that you find beautiful. Is there a tree with a trunk resembling an apple? Are there rocks that you find interesting? Pay attention to the outside world and look for something that you find awesome. You may not take long to do it. After that, remember how you enjoyed the fresh air while observing the beauty in the real world
Step 8. Consider reducing your anime collection
Sometimes the only way to get over an addiction is to get rid of things that remind you of your hobbies. You don't have to sell or give away your entire collection of action figures, manga, clothes, bags, etc. However, consider giving away or selling some items you no longer use. Also, try not to buy items to enlarge your collection.
If watching anime on the internet is too tempting or distracts you from work or school, consider deleting the anime video file from your computer or removing the website from Bookmarks
Step 9. Watch your behavior
If you try to imitate your favorite character or use too many Japanese words to annoy people, it will only make your addiction worse. Try to prevent this from happening so you can break the addiction. If the behavior has become a habit that you want to change, ask a friend to remind you every time you imitate a favorite character or use an unimportant Japanese word.
Step 10. Reduce the number of anime exhibits that you attend
If attending anime shows plays a big role in addiction, you should consider reducing the number of anime shows you attend each year. Instead of visiting five or more exhibitions in a year, you can reduce it to just one or two exhibitions a year. Not only will this help you save money, but it will also help you stay away from anime.
Part 3 of 3: Distracting Your Attention by Doing Other Activities
Step 1. Consider finding another hobby
You don't have to spend all your time on one thing even if you really like it. Try other interests and hobbies that you may have enjoyed that you started to forget when you became addicted to anime. Here are some activities to try:
- Practice self-defense. If you like anime and Japanese culture, you may be interested in martial arts, especially those from Japan, such as aikido or judo.
- Playing a musical instrument, such as the guitar or piano.
- Jogging, hiking, and riding a bicycle not only keep you fit and healthy, but also help you relax and enjoy the nature that surrounds you.
- Knitting and crochet will keep your hands moving and busy. It can help you forget the anime.
- Photography will help you get more out of the house, meet new people, and see the world you've been missing for so long. Get out of the house and start observing the world around you.
Step 2. Find and follow other fandoms
Sometimes you can break your anime addiction by joining other fandoms that aren't related to anime, including fandoms of books, movies, and television shows. You may end up spending less time on anime-related things and spending more time in the new fandom. If you don't know which fandom to join, consider getting a recommendation from a friend or classmate. Tell your friends things you like, like horror movies, medieval fantasy books, or vampire dramas.
If you enjoy role-playing, consider participating in role-playing activities organized by other fandoms not related to anime, such as book or film fandoms
Step 3. Spend time with friends
This can help you forget the anime. Plus, spending time with friends can remind them that you still care about them. That way, when you need someone to talk to, they will always listen to your concerns and support you.
If you don't have any friends, try making new friends by joining a school club, going to the bookstore or library, or relaxing in the park
Step 4. Enlist the help of friends and family to support you
Tell your friends and family that you want to give up your anime addiction. They may help you by not giving anime-related gifts for your birthday. If you have friends who are also interested in anime, they might help you by not discussing too much anime-related stuff. Also, they probably won't invite you to watch the new anime series either.
Tips
- If you have a friend who is addicted to anime, consider trying to work on anime addiction together.
- If you need another reason to stop using Japanese words, remember that you may offend Japanese people by saying the words without knowing what they mean. This is known as "cultural appropriation" and the act is frowned upon by many.
- "Kawaii" and "Senpai" are used too often by anime lovers and using words like that over and over again can annoy a lot of people.
