Twelve years ago I decided to stop watching TV. One day I simply got fed up with all the nonsense promoted by the media and I turned off. It was a total waste of time. The news were presenting only stories filled with pain, suffering, death and negativity, while the sitcoms were showing a distorted version of reality, conveying the message that it was fun to laugh, mock or look down at others. Most of the shows promoted stupidity, ridiculed the misfortune of others, disability or awkwardness, some even reinforced racial stereotypes.
Don't imagine that I became totally disconnected from reality once I turned it off. I still read the headlines online once in a way.
I was never able to understand how others needed to turn it on as soon as they came home, as if they were programmed to do so. Even if they were not watching anything, they felt the need to hear it as a background noise. As for sleeping with the TV on, that was way beyond my comprehension. Having sleep disturbances, I knew that it was hindering the quality of my sleep. Thus, I banned it from my bedroom.
When I gave up watching television, I had two or maybe three TVs within the house. They have been staying there for a few months, collecting dust until I gave them away. It was pointless to keep them since I was not using them. I never missed watching TV. On the contrary, I saw it as a blessing. I realized that not hearing all those negatives headlines on a daily basis was exactly what I needed: a break from negativity, from the make-believe world.
Most of the people would say that watching TV is not a detrimental habit if it is done in moderation. Some wold argue that one hour per day is more than enough, while others would try to convince you that there's nothing wrong in relaxing after work and watching a show or two.
Watching two episodes/ shows means around 80 minutes of sitting down and zoning out into the TV. If you count the commercials in between, it adds up to around 100 minutes. Let's round it up and say two hours. Two hours per day of screen time. When you do the Math and see that you spend a minimum of 30 hours per month doing nothing, you understand that time could have been used for something else, more valuable.
People asked me how do I managed to live without it. I had no issues letting go. I only saw the benefits of my action: more spare time, higher consciousness, increased productivity and creativity.
Instead of wasting my time being a couch potato, getting brainwashed, I become more active, I read more. I went out and socialized more.
In addition, my sleeping problems improved considerably. Within less than two weeks, I was sleeping again like a baby. I went to bed to the same hour, but I was able to complete a lot of things before sleep. I had more time for house chores, for reading, for myself.
According to psychologist Steve Sussman, the TV addiction is one of the first addiction people, children included, develop throughout their life. I can't say that I am surprised to see or hear that children who have spent hours watching cartoons or shows developed attention deficits problems.
How much time do you spend watching TV?
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