What is Post-Anime depression? (+3 coping tips)
By
PsychReel
This article will discuss what post-anime depression is. For that, it will show what causes it, what are the most common signs of it, and how people can cope with post-anime depression.
What is Post-anime depression?
Post-anime depression is a sadness one may experience once one finishes an anime. But this is not a clinical condition. That is because sadness is a common emotion, and it can be experienced by everyone in moments of their lives. But not every sadness is connected with depression.
One can only be diagnosed with depression if they have experienced its symptoms for more than two weeks. But even though Post-anime depression is not a clinical condition, and is usually a brief condition, it doesn’t mean it is not something noteworthy.
Post-anime depression can be caused by some factors. Not only by the end of the anime you loved, but also because it might have had an unpleasant ending, or because a story that developed in it touched you deeply. Along with that, it can happen because you got deeply connected with the anime or one of its characters.
When a person is experiencing Post-anime depression, they can feel like they want to have the life they had before, when they were still watching the anime. And once the anime ends, they may have gotten so obsessed with the characters, that letting go of it can feel like a breakup.
People around you, your family or friends, may not understand what is going on or think it is silly. But to some people, Post-anime depression can be so intense that it can lead to a depressive disorder. So if you feel you have been experiencing it for a while, it might be time to look for professional help.
What are signs someone is going through Post-anime depression?
Some symptoms are often common in people experiencing Post-anime depression. They can experience sadness, lack of motivation to do other things, and can even have moments in which they are blankly looking at space.
People with Post-anime depression can also seem to be moping around quite often, and the end of the anime you love can make your future appear without hope, causing you to question if you ever find joy or live a happy experience in your life, which can make you feel empty.
But if you are experiencing Post-anime depression, know that there are some ways you can deal with this situation. Let’s discuss what they are.
How can you cope with Post-anime depression?
If you are experiencing Post-anime depression, you might want to take on some of these techniques. Even though not all of them will work on everyone, you can try them out and discover which one works better for you.
Validate your feelings
Although it can seem strange to others, validate how you feel. People can connect on a deeper level to an anime, and when it ends, it can bring up many emotions. Don’t feel guilty about it, look at yourself in a caring manner, and try to focus on your healing, and not on convincing others your condition is real.
Find a manga you like
It can seem like settling, but finding a new manga can help you get in touch with the type of story you like. It won’t replace your anime, but since it is a similar language, it will allow you to join in some other adventures after your loved anime has ended.
You can look for recommendations of mangas to read from the many online forums, or even friends that enjoy the anime and manga culture as much as you do.
Spend some time out
Although you might feel like not doing anything, going out for a walk can help you get your mind out of the anime. It can help you get some distraction, and by doing a walk your mood can improve considerably due to the endorphins that will go through your body after you exercise.
If it is possible, you can also go for a hike. That time in nature can be extremely beneficial in clearing your mind and helping you center yourself.
Discover a hobby
If you feel like all of your life was dedicated to the anime that just ended, it might be a good idea to find other sources of happiness and thrill. By discovering a new hobby, be it doing some handy work, taking up a new language lesson, or reading some books.
By trying to discover new sources of joy, and even though it can seem impossible at first, you can just allow yourself to try. Maybe something will catch your eye, and you will discover something entirely new.
Write about your passion
Nowadays, due to the internet, it is possible to find many places where you can discuss your passion. There are numerous forums about a diversity of themes. Maybe finding one where you can write about the anime you love can be a great way to channel your love for it positively.
Find a new anime
This can even offend some anime fans, but it is not about replacing the anime you love but mostly about allowing yourself to enjoy something new. If anime is something that speaks deeply to you, you can find others that will also bring you that rush.
But finding new anime is not always easy, so for that, you can also get recommendations from friends or forums, and maybe you will discover a new love.
Read about it
And it is not only by writing about your anime that you can feel better. Reading about it, in discussion forums, or other places can help you think about what happened in the story. And if you feel Post-anime depression due to a situation you didn’t like, reading about it can help bring you closure.
Watch it again
There is also the possibility that you can re-watch the anime you love. This can help you go through the emotions it brought you, but now you will be more prepared since you know what happened up until the end.
If something at the end of the anime was upsetting to you, watching it again can give you time to process how you feel.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What is Post-anime depression?
How do anime help my mental health?
Anime can have many benefits on mental health. The first thing is that many anime talk about mental health matters. Although those are not central themes, it is quite common to see characters that have experienced depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and more.
So by simply bringing those themes, it allows the readers to identify with them, but also to make the stigma of mental health less destructive. Along with that, anime can have a positive effect on mental health when they explain how the characters handle their mental health matters.
In the stories, their mental health condition can be explained by their aura, and, commonly, the characters speak about how they feel, and what are ways they have found to handle their issues. This can help viewers to get in touch with the possibilities of treatment that are available for mental health, and how each person, when going through this road, will discover their ways for healing.
Why are You Lie in April sad?
You Lie in April is an anime that many think is sad. It tells the story of a character, a former musical prodigy Kousei Arima, that suffers from a trauma caused by being neglected in childhood.
As he meets, on a beautiful spring day, a girl that plays violin, they decide to do a competition. But after the girl asks him to accompany her as she performs on a stage, and to do that, he will have to deal with many of his traumas. Because the story talks so openly about traumatic events, it can be considered a sad anime.
Why can an anime make me cry?
If you feel so touched by an anime that it causes you to cry, it can mean that something in that story resonated with you. It can be the story it was showing connected to things you have gone through before.
It can also be that the struggles the characters are going through relating to you, or the death of a character you loved brought tears to your eyes, making you feel like it was the loss of a real person. All of that is normal, and it only becomes a problem if you realize that the emotions the anime is bringing you are affecting your life in the long term. Making it hard for you to connect to others, or to live your life fully.
Why do I get attached to movie characters?
It is extremely common to get attached to a movie or tv show character. When you are watching something, and you are following in that storyline you can empathize so much with what they are going through that it can make you attached.
That can cause you to develop some psychological effects such as identification, self-other-taking, and proximity effect. That means that if you identify with what the character is going on, or it is something you can relate to, you will most likely empathize with them, and as a consequence, you will be attached to them.
That is usually not a problem, and it is something that wears out. But if you notice that this identification or attachment is causing problems in your relationships or preventing you from doing other things, you might want to look for professional help.
Can anime become an addiction?
Yes, although there is no specific research discussing anime addiction, it is possible to relate the addiction of anime to internet addiction, since it can establish itself in the same way. The same way as any other addiction, anime can give you a high dose of dopamine, causing you to feel fulfilled, and want more every time.
Anime can be a great coping mechanism, helping you deal with matters that are going on in your life or escaping them, but at some point, as with any addiction, it can become a problem. This happens when watching anime starts to affect your relationships, takes up all of your time and thoughts, and you start to crave it. Those are common signs that anime is becoming an addiction.
Conclusion
This article discussed what Post-anime depression is, the causes of it, and what are the signs someone is experiencing it. Along with that, the article explained are ways a person can cope with Post-anime depression.
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write it in the section below.
