How I Struggled With My TV Addiction: Tips on Giving Up TV
A book a day keeps reality away. A season a day will blow your mind away.
I have been addicted to TV series and movies for as long as I remember. I cannot remember a day I haven’t cried with Blair for her breakup or hung on for dear life as the Starks of Winterfell fought to save their family and defend their honor.
Each day has been a roller coaster of emotions, following the lives of my favorite characters, experiencing their ups and downs as if they were my own. TV has taught me how to feel and now real life has no appeal.
In the words of American writer and producer Dan Harmon, “All TV shows are like cigarettes. You watch two, you have a higher chance of watching three. They are always addictive”.
And we all know it isn’t easy to get over any addiction and that includes giving up TV.
A TV series keeps one hanging till the very last minute.
It takes advantage of people’s compulsive need to end what they have started.
As human beings, it is difficult for us to leave things unfinished. Each cliffhanger at the end of every season keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting to see how it all ends.
Will Jon Snow defeat the Lannisters and become the king of the Seven kingdoms? Or will Rachel finally end up with her long-time love interest Ross?
They captivate your interest by tapping on your emotions and encase you in a fantasy world that one becomes comfortable in. This makes it difficult to come out of this.
But they can also be very informative.
For instance, medical shows, despite their extensive drama, can provide you with a lot of insight into the lives of doctors. They also widen the horizon of your imagination, making you aware of things way beyond common perception.
Providing a source of entertainment in a dull and mundane life, TV shows become an alternative to daily life.
See Also: Use Your Brain: 7 TV Shows That Will Make You Smarter
That is what leads people into the arms of TV addiction.
My addiction to TV started small and I never realized how quickly it grew. Two episodes became four and soon turned into a whole season. Looking back to the time when this infatuation was at its highest, I realize how much I have missed out on my life.
While most of my friends were out enjoying themselves, I was balled up in a corner of the house, a laptop in hand and headphones on my head. The most difficult phase was exam time. What time I should have devoted to my studies, I spent sneaking in a few episodes of my favorite TV show, hiding from my unrelenting mom who was pushing me to study.
Where there is no struggle, there is absolutely no progress.
The first step to recovery and giving up TV is admitting that you have a problem.
My recovery started around the time I entered college. I met new people — mixing, making bonds and connections that would probably last for a very long time. Amidst such people and due to my interactions with them, I realized how much I had missed out on.
Relationships are an essential part of your lives and without them, one cannot survive in real life.
In situations like this, no matter how much you learn from TV shows, it can never be enough and they can never match real-life experiences. This made me accept my problem and make the first step towards giving up TV.
I wouldn’t say that I am completely over my obsession with TV shows, but what counts is the effort. It is important for people who are suffering from the same thing to come out of the fantasy worlds that they have created for themselves in the TV universe, and finally come back to reality.
