Overcoming my social anxiety by learning a TCG
Earlier this year, I picked up one of the hobbies I’ve enjoyed the most and that’s been with me for most of my life. As the title says, I’m talking about TCGs (trading card games). For context, some of the most famous are Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more recently, Pokémon.
I’ve been into these kinds of games since I was a kid, and it’s something I share with my brother. Over the years, we’ve explored and played several together, even getting involved in a local Yu-Gi-Oh! community where we joined tournaments back when the game was still pretty new. At some point, we stopped playing and pulled away from that world. Honestly, ever since I was a kid and he was a teenager, we hadn’t set foot in a local shop to play with other people. But that changed this year, when I decided to take this hobby seriously again.
Ever since it launched, I really liked the Digimon TCG, both for its mechanics and its amazing artwork. Back in 2021, my brother and I played it a bit together, but due to money issues, I decided to stop buying cards and focused on other hobbies. That said, the “itch” never really went away because I genuinely loved the game. So at the start of this year, I randomly picked up my old cards and felt an uncontrollable urge to play again but this time for real. I msan for real for real. I wanted to actually learn the meta, compete with others in the community, stay up to date, and sharpen my skills. So I did some digging, found a local shop with a small community, and saw a post saying they’d help teach new players (which was great, because I barely remembered anything). Without overthinking it, I just went for it.
What I didn’t expect was that my social anxiety would hit me hard doing something that, in practice, was brand new to me. The first few months were rough. After my first tournament, I found it really hard to go back to the shop; the anxiety was intense. I wasn’t too concerned about looking like a noob, because that’s exactly what I was, and there was no way to fake it. The game is complicated, and I literally showed up asking for help. What messed me up emotionally was the feeling of being “the new guy” in a community that was completely unfamiliar to me. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time. Right from the start, I could tell most of them had known each other for a while. It really was like transferring to a new school halfway through the year, where you don’t know anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability I hadn’t experienced in ages.
Thankfully, most of the people in the community have been really kind. You can tell they’re passionate about the game and they genuinely believe that the more people join, the better; it keeps the game alive and the events active. Some events even require a certain number of players to sign up, so the more the merrier, I suppose. Also, putting myself out there and connecting with new people has been super rewarding. It’s the kind of fulfillment that my stale routine and endless work just haven’t given me in years. I also proved to myself that I’m still capable of socializing and building new relationships—something that, as you grow older, people say becomes harder to do.
On top of that, some of the players in this community are really good, which forced me to do two very important things: (1) learn the competitive side of the game quickly, and (2) make time to study the game, try out new deck builds, and practice. Which, weirdly enough, forced me to rest; and that’s helped me clear my mind and unwind by doing something I genuinely love. And damn, I really needed that shot of novelty in my life.
This whole thing has been super positive for my mental health. A part of me never thought I’d go back to the TCG world, let alone get this involved and be part of a community again. Another part of me never imagined that getting back into this hobby would help my anxiety so much. And sure, I still get nervous sometimes and my armpits still sweat from game-day anxiety (lol) but now I can say I feel comfortable with these new people.
All of this has reminded me how important it is to be part of a group, to make new connections, and to share your passions with others. Being around people who get it —who love something as much as I do— brings me a lot of joy. It’s hard to explain, but when you’ve been judged or seen as weird for the stuff you like, finding people who don’t just accept it but share it with you… that’s something really special.
Thanks for reading.