Find an alternative
You can get rid of any habit if you find a replacement for it. Here are some alternatives to watching TV.
Go into business. Why don't you start your own business since you have a lot of free time? Find something you love, and it will pay worthy dividends.
Go for a walk with friends. Surely you have friends whom you have not seen for a long time. Why not meet them? Go out and have some fun.
Sport. Sign up for a gym, volleyball or swimming class. Getting yourself in good physical shape is the best thing you can do.
Make new acquaintances. Try to be as open to communication as possible. If you have a lot of friends and acquaintances, there will be no time left to watch TV.
Sign up for courses. What are your hobbies? For example, if you love to dance, you can take courses and improve your skills. If you don't have a hobby, think about what you would like to do. And perhaps you will discover many new opportunities and talents in yourself.
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Turn off the TV, or What steals our creative energy
I want to share my experimental experience, sum up and simply reflect on the topic of TV addiction.
TV has always been present in my life. In preschool age, my sister and I were allowed to watch cartoons and fairy tales, all in doses with the permission of our parents, but the Sunday cartoon was always present. During my school years, entertaining myself with television was already a habit. Before my parents came home from work, it was necessary to “snatch” my television time, to watch a forbidden series (I loved Santa Barbara, which I was not allowed to do :) ).
There was a VCR and a bunch of videotapes in the house. Favorite films were played for the hundredth time simply because there was nothing to do, it was impossible to tear yourself away. Sometimes girlfriends came to see the video camera; many didn’t have it at home yet. Over time, I learned how to make videos and recorded my favorite films on video cassettes, carefully pressing pause during commercials. During the period while I was at school, we probably accumulated more than a hundred cassettes. There was a time when I rented videotapes and re-recorded my favorite films. We often watched “video” on weekends with the whole family, and this is normal, the whole family is together, but only now I understand that a more effective way to spend time would be to walk together, play a game or go to visit.
When I was a teenager, I was given a personal TV in my room - a small black and white one. I already turned it on at will, even while doing homework (of course, I made the sound very quiet so that my parents wouldn’t hear). I studied well, so they trusted how much and when I watched TV, they didn’t monitor me. Sometimes, even when I couldn’t sleep, I spent a long time before going to bed switching from channel to channel, watching everything indiscriminately. For some reason, other interesting activities did not come to mind, except for keeping a diary, where I sometimes wrote down a description of each episode of my favorite TV series (X-files - “The X-Files,” for example). This is how TV even penetrated my personal diary.
I could no longer imagine life without television. In addition, by the end of school I developed myopia, and to this day I cannot do without glasses and contacts. I am sure that the problem with my eyes arose due to excessive watching of TV, especially at close range. However, after graduating from school, I went to college, went to another city and lived in a dorm where there was no TV.
So, it’s an unusual time for me without TV. Studying took up most of the time, new acquaintances appeared, new parties appeared. It was very unusual without a TV, especially in the evenings, but what saved me more was the number of new acquaintances, gatherings with neighbors, walks around the big city.
The first positive moment of life without TV was that I started reading books. Previously, books were present in my life, but only in the form of a compulsory school curriculum and occasionally romance novels. Dad always tried to motivate my sister and me to read, and he himself read a lot, but it was all to no avail. For me, my school friend turned out to be my inspiration for reading; she retold the books she read with such ecstasy and inspiration that it was impossible to resist. In addition, she discussed books with other girls at general gatherings, and I was “out of the loop”, this made me feel uneasy, I always had the feeling that I was missing out on a lot in life. And so I started with detective stories by Joanna Khmelevskaya, then switched to more serious reading - Paolo Coelho, Maurice Druon and many others. I bought books, read in the evenings, advised my friends in the hostel.
In the first months, reading books, I was extremely proud of myself; before that, I always thought that I needed to read, but somehow I couldn’t motivate myself. In addition, boredom disappeared from my life, even if there was no one around to talk to.
Surprisingly, when I came home for the holidays, I again fell under TV addiction. I could spend several days on the sofa with the remote control, watching everything, playing videotapes. And only when she was “full” to the limit, she began to go out to visit friends, acquaintances, and generally just take a walk in the evening. Books, naturally, were put aside. Going back to school, I again missed watching television, sometimes I went to visit my friends and watch a movie for company. I really wanted to have a TV in my room. By the time I graduated from college, I had already started earning a little money and finally bought a TV. I moved to a rented apartment, and evening TV viewing and hanging out in front of the TV on weekends returned again. The addiction has not gone away, despite almost five years of absence from television.
When I got my own home, I connected cable TV, we had about 70 channels. They always joked in words that we have a lot of channels, but as usual there is nothing to watch. Nevertheless, I could hang out in front of the TV for several hours, especially when I came home tired from work. You stupidly switch channels one after another, time flies by, you don’t even notice. She loved the news very much, she planned her evening so that she would have dinner during the news release. Serial series and watching TV before bed are back again.
I read books, but, of course, watching TV took up a lot of free time. I kind of realized this, but it was difficult to overcome myself.
Over time, I began to choose TV programs more consciously. I mostly watched nature channels, science programs, and really loved travel channels. I excluded TV series. I began to think more and more often that TV really clogs up my life, steals valuable time and prevents me from developing creatively. But it was difficult to overcome myself; my husband and I often discussed that the TV should be turned off, but in reality everything remained the same.
The turning point was the approaching birth of my first child. And just at this time, our agreement on favorable prices with the television operator was ending, and we finally made a firm mutual decision to turn off cable. Of course, the main impetus was our son, who (especially for the first six months) took up all our free time, including TV. In addition, we really didn’t want our little child to stare unconsciously at the TV; we really didn’t want to develop a TV addiction in our child, like ours.
Difficult parental everyday life began, lack of sleep, fatigue. I was getting used to the new role of mother, changing inside and out. There were many joys and sorrows. A child's first smile, first laugh, first words, first steps. We plunged into a new parental world for us, began to change, get rid of excessive selfishness, useless habits and activities.
When a small child appears in a family, the value of one’s time changes dramatically.
And in our life there was no place for TV . All my free time, and oh so little of it, I schedule it minute by minute, manage to do much more than before, spend it on useful things and activities. Now I will choose a book or satya to relax and unwind, but not TV. Although I can watch recorded films, watch TV via the Internet or television series without the lack of standard channels, I have no desire or desire left at all. I finally got rid of my TV addiction after many years, and I’m very happy about it.
I now have so much energy and craving for creativity that I consider useless TV viewing an unforgivable waste of time! Now, if I want to relax, I will choose a book, a walk in nature, painting or drawing. I would rather learn a new recipe with pleasure than switch from channel to channel while sitting on the couch. And even when I paint, standing at the easel for 1.5-2 hours, I get more satisfaction and relaxation than when I usually watch a movie.
In my new life without TV, I find continuous advantages and bonuses and really hope that I will never return to television. By the way, I began to engage closely with creativity precisely during the period without TV, despite the presence of a small child. You probably just start to value your time and don’t let it be wasted.
When I come to visit friends and acquaintances, it is extremely unusual for me that the TV can be turned on just for the background, and even none of the household members may be watching it. I guess I just don’t understand why people get into the habit of turning on the TV just to avoid silence and boredom. And silence is so beautiful
And boredom is simply due to the inability to occupy oneself with something. I especially don’t understand why the TV is on during a feast (we were recently visiting relatives, and we had a TV with some political shows as a background). Is it really true that when people gather around the same table, do they really need televised squabbles and skirmishes? Now I can't understand it anymore. Why watch Malakhov's show at dinner? To stare and discuss? For what, people, for what? Why are there salads inspired by Kirkorov and Galkin in the New Year? I’ve already had two New Year’s holidays without TV, without “blue lights” and other nonsense, and you know what - it’s wonderful! Now my TV, as they said in one famous cartoon, shows cobwebs :), and probably soon we will completely put it away in the closet (well, this, of course, is to protect it from a child who likes to throw toys around
Of course, I will not hide the fact that there is more Internet in my life. And this is also a kind of addiction. But still, reading another article on the site is much more useful than spending the evening time watching a TV show. And although the Internet is also a waste of time, especially if you hang out for a long time viewing “empty” sites, social networks and other garbage content, I hope that over time I will be able to properly organize my Internet time and get rid of another media addiction.
What positive changes have occurred in my life without TV:
✅ I read a lot of books on different topics, many articles about creativity, raising children and philosophical topics;
✅ I started drawing again, and I haven’t drawn for 15 years! And not just draw, but try new techniques. Now I am interested in oil painting, fabric drawing, and I plan to try pastels, leather painting and improve my watercolor technique. If someone 10-15 years ago would have told me that I would paint in oils, I would never have believed it. In my understanding, oil painting was associated with high-level artists; I didn’t even think about the fact that even an amateur could try oil. When my friends asked me why I don’t draw, my answer was simple: I have no inspiration. When the muse appears, I’ll start painting right away. These were empty excuses, I couldn’t motivate myself to pick up brushes and paints and start trying. It was much easier to sit on the sofa, take the TV remote control and “look down” from sadness that there was still no inspiration. I’ll watch the movie, and maybe tomorrow the muse will fly in. But the miracle never happened. Until I cleared my mind of all garbage and stupid habits, nothing changed in my life, and my creative energy was at zero.
✅ I got more communication, started visiting exhibitions and theater. It’s just scary to think that living for many years in a big city, I didn’t go to a single exhibition of paintings or sculptures, for example, while I told everyone how I love to draw, how I want to become an artist, and I didn’t go to the cinema for an interesting premiere I missed it, but didn’t even think about going to the exhibition. Such a thought never even crossed my mind. But I never forgot about when my favorite travel show would be released. Now I can make a special trip to Moscow to visit the Picasso exhibition, arrive at the opening of the museum at 7 am, so as not to stand in a huge line. When traveling, I always visit art museums, admire paintings by famous artists, take photos, think, get inspired by technology, and fill myself with creative energy.
In my case, TV addiction was a powerful block to the manifestation of creative energy and creative initiative. My head was filled with all sorts of nonsense, priorities were set not in favor of creating something new, but in favor of simple pastime. For some time I even convinced myself that I was not capable of painting, that it was not worth even trying. Such self-deception in exchange for an easy life, “like everyone else.”
Fortunately, my life has changed. And here's what I can be happy about:
✅ I opened my store at the Masters Fair, the first sales appeared;
✅ the house is full of paintings, some are still drying, and the owners are already waiting for them;
✅ my new project - eco-bags with painting was also successful, at the moment several customers are already waiting for handbags while I’m on sabbatical
✅ I finally received self-realization, I know what I live for, I set goals in life and strive to realize them.
I won’t hide the fact that sometimes I watch films, go to the cinema, and watch news broadcasts via the Internet. But all this is done consciously in a strictly allotted time, purposefully. In life without TV, I feel light and free, I have a lot of creative energy, many interesting ideas for the future, I read a lot, try to improve my English, I love meeting with friends and walking in nature.
There has been no television in my life for almost two years now, and I have never regretted it. Now all my energy is directed towards family and creativity, and this is the most wonderful state I have ever experienced.
I wish you all the best, creative success and inspiration. Create and succeed Travel and just enjoy life as it is
Limit yourself gradually
Read also – Internet addiction: arguments for and against
In some cases, addiction to TV can be so strong that a sudden withdrawal can lead to real psychological withdrawal. Yes, don't be surprised! So part with your favorite already archaic gadget gradually. To begin with, set a viewing period of two hours a day, the next day - 1.5 hours, and at the end of the week, reduce the time spent in front of a blue screen to zero. It's actually not difficult.
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Don't buy into TV shows and series
This is the most common mistake made by those who decide to quit TV. A person begins to realize that he has almost gotten rid of addiction, and suddenly they appear - new shows and series. If you switch the channel and see an unfamiliar TV show, turn it off immediately, no matter how interested you may be. After all, once you watch the first episode, it’s very difficult to refuse to watch the next one. Do not give in to this temptation under any circumstances. Insidious TV people try to drag you into their media networks.
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How to determine addiction to TV series?
Before citing a number of symptoms of this addiction, it should be said that each of us must understand that he is always dependent on something. It is impossible to be independent from everything. Some people need close people nearby, some cannot live without a loved one, some cannot help but wake up until they drink coffee. We all need food, water and air, because... we depend on them - without them we will perish. But you need to understand that addiction can be positive, neutral and negative, and also that there are dependencies that you can completely do without. And as soon as watching television series begins to become a habit that has a destructive effect on life, you need to immediately take measures to eliminate it so that it does not get worse and does not “mess things up.”
So, how can you determine that a person has become addicted to television series?
- Watching television series begins to prevail over communication with real people, and specifically with relatives, friends, loved ones
- The daily routine begins to adapt to watching the series
- Important matters such as work, study, business meetings, etc. fade into the background if there is a need to watch a new episode of a television series
- Thoughts about the events taking place in the series begin to dominate thoughts about current affairs
This may seem absurd, and someone will just grin when reading about these symptoms. But, believe me, there are such people. They may even be among you, even if you do not notice them. And it is important that these people understand that they may be at risk. In any case, it’s definitely worth paying attention to this.
There are also other signs of addiction. They may be less obvious, but still retain their influence. For example, the inability to switch attention from a television series or television program to something else, the desire to find something similar, continuous discussion of what was watched with everyone with whom you communicate, admiration or suffering from the actions of the characters, etc.
Sometimes a person, finding himself in a seemingly hopeless situation or facing problems, can switch to the television world - for him this will be a way of protecting himself from external circumstances. But it is important to understand that this is just an evasion of problems and responsibility, which will not lead to anything good.
Keep an eye on yourself
Read also - 6 reasons why we are increasingly meeting people on the Internet
If you have not yet given up sitting in front of the TV for hours, then you will not understand how your worldview will change when this habit goes away. So, start analyzing your behavior while TV addiction is still active, in the process of getting rid of it, and after the need to press the red button on the remote control disappears. We guarantee that you will notice how the real world has become much more interesting. Try to test yourself.
