Ever thought that you could get a lot done in the time you spend in front of the TV? Although today's society is governed through television, you personally do not need to keep the TV on at home all the time. You can even give up TV altogether. It may not be easy to explain the absence of a television at home, but it will soon become clear that the positive aspects of not constantly watching television outweigh the negative.
- Don't buy a TV . Give the one you already have to someone or turn it off for a long time. A pretty obvious step. If you don't want to get rid of your TV completely, just put it in a closet or a room that you rarely visit. Don't think about turning on the TV, put board games and sports equipment in front of the TV! Try not to watch TV while on vacation. Not having a TV will help you find other forms of entertainment to fill the void of not having a TV. Soon you won't even notice that there is no TV.
- Appreciate silence . Everyday life in modern society is filled with noise. The sound can be pleasant, for example when talking or listening to music. But the TV just creates background noise even though no one is actually watching it. It's like white noise that distracts you from what really matters. When you get rid of the TV, you learn to appreciate silence. Then you can play any music you want, or just enjoy the silence every day.
- Read or write . At all times, writers have sought silence and solitude in secluded places, such as Henry David Thoreau in a hut at Walden Pond. You can take up writing by listening only to your own inspiration. No need to think about billions of copies, do it for yourself. You can also read a new book or reread a favorite one, and let your imagination allow you to immerse yourself in the book entirely.
- Spend less time cleaning . Without a TV chaining you to the sofa, you can do all your household chores much faster. Don't procrastinate, you won't lose anything if you do all the work at once. If you are used to ironing or washing dishes while watching TV, find a replacement. Listen to music, the radio (find an educational channel), or an audiobook. Divide the work into short periods of time, for example ironing clothes 4 times for 15 minutes, instead of one hour of continuous work. You will be less tired and experience less need to watch TV.
- Realize that this is your personal choice . Unlike deciding to become a vegetarian, doing yoga or quitting smoking is your personal decision. This is your life, after all. Don't think about how they will look at you. Don't try to convince anyone, just smile and say: “I can do more than before. I don’t miss those shows enough to live with TV the same way.” This discussion can be completed.
- Think about raising children . If you have children, home life will change completely. Children will need to learn about other ways to have fun, such as crafts and crafts, being outdoors, reading and being creative. You no longer have to worry about the TV raising your children instead of you. They may tell you that all children have a television and all children watch it. It is enough to answer that your children have great fun building towers from the designer, or tree houses, and, in addition, they have excellent grades in school. If children want to watch TV with friends, allow them, let them watch and communicate. See our article “Children and TV” for more details.
- Take your decision calmly . For some reason, many who give up television, just like those who quit smoking, try to fanatically convert those around them to their faith. It may be unpleasant for others that someone is interfering in their lives. They will tell you: “Okay, you don’t watch TV, so stop making a joke,” and they will be right. Avoid complacency or feelings of superiority over others by making snobbish remarks when discussing recent television shows. Instead, listen carefully to the conversation. The best way to show the benefits of giving up TV is to invite friends over for dinner. The absence of TV will set people up for a pleasant intimate conversation. And remember that giving up TV is your personal decision. If your friends haven't made that decision, it's not your place to try to "make them better."
TV is outdated
They show the same people on TV that everyone has known for a long time and, frankly, are already pretty tired of. These people again and again take part in programs of an outdated format. Experienced television fans involuntarily memorize films, TV series, talk shows, even advertisements. Endless repetitions predictably lead viewers to degradation.
This is because these people and their projects that have taken over television are politically pleasing. They will not criticize the authorities, express harmful opinions and, one way or another, influence the established situation. All the free and bold creators, meanwhile, are taking YouTube by storm and are worth paying attention to.
Useful tips
- For starters, you can stop watching regular shows and rent specific films from rental services instead. The absence of advertising will make watching movies more enjoyable. When you have to spend money on every movie, spending and choosing a movie together will bring the family together.
- Get a pet. If you feel lonely without the TV to bring everyone together, get a pet. Before getting a pet, make sure you can handle its care and maintenance.
- Stop cable TV. Spend the money you save on a hobby that is more exciting than TV.
- Invite your friends more often. Turn your home into a refuge from the annoying outside world. Together with your friends, you can feel how your home has become a calm haven from the noise of the city. Fill your home with books, photos, board games, craft supplies and tools. This way you will always find something to do on a rainy day.
How the love for television began
I work in the media, so it is generally accepted that watching TV is rather my professional duty, but this is just an excuse. I became addicted to the world of television programs since childhood, when I watched with great interest bright Disney fairy tales on the channel that showed them all day long from early morning. I also liked the scientific and educational programs that I fell asleep to in middle school. And as a high school student, I began to watch news channels with interest, which was the choice of my profession.
How to get rid of TV addiction
- Stop stupidly clicking through channels in the hope of finding something interesting. All these programs do not carry any meaning and do not bring anything new or useful. Turn off.
- Find something more useful to do - put on new makeup, go through your closet with clothes, take a walk down the street. There are thousands of things in the world that are more interesting than looking at a blue screen.
- Don’t start watching endless series and programs, because one season flows into another, the second into the third, and in the end you are a dependent slave who cannot imagine life without your favorite characters.
- It is necessary to understand that people who watch TV are more limited and intellectually poor. If you, of course, read Shakespeare and Pushkin, this will not threaten you. If you are constantly busy watching TV shows, know that your vocabulary is scanty and poor :(.
- Learn to find joy in life in other things - in enjoying food without TV (better ask your parents how their day was), in reading books, in walking outside, in needlework, in sports.
- If you are afraid of silence, you find it unpleasant to sit in a echoing apartment, turn on the radio. There, unlike a playlist on a computer, there are news and live communication from presenters :).
- Don’t watch all the films and TV series in a row, but only those that deserve decent reviews from friends, acquaintances, and relatives. Watching films “with meaning” on philosophical and life topics. Then each film will not only occupy your time, but also develop you.
I hope my tips will help you discover a more interesting and colorful world than the world of stupid programs and bloody shows!
How to stop watching TV
Below are some effective tips that will help you stop watching TV, or at least prevent you from doing it too often.
- Delete some channels
- Schedule a viewing
- Reduce your comfort level while watching TV
- Read something interesting before turning on the TV
- Avoid watching the same movie or press release a second time
- Record your favorite programs, don't let your TV kill your precious time
The purpose of this article is not to tell you how to throw away your TV. You just need to understand the basic pros and cons of watching TV and then you can decide what to do if you have nothing to do after that.
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There are several reasons why people get caught up in endless TV shows and series.
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Costs of education
Often parents teach their children to watch TV from early childhood. Turning on cartoons is much easier than playing with your baby. Over time, the child begins to consider the TV as his best friend: the blue screen will not let you get bored, it will be a faithful companion in all matters - after all, in its company the child eats porridge, cleans the room or does homework, the TV will not say: “Leave me alone!” - just like mom does. As a result, such “friendship” lasts a lifetime.
It happens that parents unconsciously inspire a child that he is uninteresting and good for nothing, that he cannot cope with any task without their help, but at the same time they do not pay enough attention to him. For example, it is easier for a mother to do her homework herself, repeating that her offspring is still not able to solve the problem correctly, than to explain for a long time how it should be done. As a result, a person grows up with a feeling of helplessness, which, in turn, gives rise to the fear of being left alone. After all, such a worthless creature cannot cope alone with even the simplest task. And an always-on TV creates the illusion of the presence of other people in the apartment.
Question answer
Why does watching TV make you fat?
Self-acceptance
Another reason for TV addiction is also related to the fear of loneliness. The fact is that many people think that a good person cannot be alone - he has many friends, he is always surrounded by a large family. If this is not the case, then the person is bad. This feeling gives rise to the fear of being left alone with oneself. After all, this is tantamount to admitting one’s uselessness and worthlessness. And in order not to feel lonely, you just need to turn on the TV.
Fear of communication
Lack of self-confidence often leads to fear of communication. In addition, a person who has spent a long time only in the company of television often loses the skills of interacting with real people. Therefore, even if such a person is burdened by his loneliness, he often still prefers watching TV to visiting or at least having a telephone conversation.
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Information overdose
We have already written recently about the benefits of an information diet. Television doesn't just make you an information glutton, it cripples you. Remember how yesterday you sat in front of the TV and watched a movie, then a show. Advertising. News.
Every commercial break, every newscast consists of separate short stories, separate stories that have been poured and mixed in your head. Over the course of an evening, you receive so much completely useless information that there is no room left for useful information.
What's the result?
Does this mean that one day televisions will disappear completely? Hardly. At least in the foreseeable future this should not be expected. Televisions still attract people with large screens, which are much more enjoyable to watch movies on. And most modern models support the smartTV function, which allows you to freely use the Internet instead of watching regular channels from which rivers of advertising and cheap propaganda flow.
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I decided to give up TV for a week.
And TV has become a habit, becoming an integral part in all areas of our lives. Every time I found myself at home, I woke up in the morning to the sound of news, cooked breakfast, and the TV was broadcasting music. And the evening passed in the power of television programs, no matter what I did - I had dinner, cleaned the apartment, and even fell asleep to the flickering of the screen. Well, the work was not complete without watching videos on the monitor screen, various clips and news on social networks about the gadget. And even in the gym, I pedaled my bicycle, staring at the TV attached to the wall. Therefore, having realized all this, I decided to give up watching TV and everything I could “stare” at for a week.
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What about the children?
In families with children, perhaps no one can do without a TV. With rare exceptions. I don’t want to pry into someone else’s life with my advice, but if you think about it, what would be more beneficial for a child - watching stupid cartoons or skiing, football with friends, a board game?
There are many things that will be much more interesting for a child than cartoons. These are primarily games with other children, creative activities, and active recreation with parents.
What a child should do is, of course, up to mom and dad to decide.
Signs of TV addiction
- You have problems and they recede into the background when you are immersed in the illusory world of movie characters, worried about a participant in a new show, or intensely watching a program about fashion.
- Dive into the world of heroes. You begin to feel that they are your friends and acquaintances, you compare situations with life and also expect romance.
- Imitating heroes, perceiving their behavior, manner of dressing and style of speech as the only correct example.
- A large amount of free time that you try to fill with TV.
- The lack of live communication or friends (family), which you are also trying to compensate with the help of TV.
TV makes you worse
Modern producers have well grasped the idea that people are most attracted to sex, fear and greed, and they take full advantage of these lures. Blood is gushing from the screens, voluptuous moans have to be muted, and millions of poor people are going to watch the draw of wealth. Yes, there are still a couple of good programs left on some channels, but they don’t do weather on TV and it’s only a matter of time before they close. Most television content does not bring any positivity into your life, but only awakens low feelings. Do you need it?
TV makes you unhappy
Oh, these series! For housewives - soapy, for fashionistas - glamorous, for intellectuals - Dr. House and Explosion. You begin to follow other people's lives with curiosity, then it captivates you, then it becomes a part of you. Other people's quarrels and truces, weddings and divorces, other people's thoughts and other people's feelings. And now the television heroine becomes closer to the person sleeping next to her on the pillow. I think that if we spent as much time on our loved ones as on moving pictures, there would be an order of magnitude fewer divorces.
So what should we do now?
The purpose of this article is not at all to encourage you to completely stop watching TV and take it to the landfill. It’s more important that you just think about what TV actually gives you and what it deprives you of. Having considered all the pros and cons, you must decide for yourself what to do. Perhaps some will not consider it necessary to change anything, others will simply reduce the time they spend watching TV, and others will refuse broadcasting and switch to watching only selected recorded programs.
What's your choice?
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Reasons to stop watching TV
TV ruins relationships
What you see on TV are not real. Instead of wasting time on fictional characters, spend time on those around you in real life. Use more time for family or friends, pay more attention to them. Don't forget that they need you and you need them.
TV takes you away from the real world
As a rule, real images are radically different from those shown on television. Television makes life more colorful and interesting, thus making people stupider and more naive.
TV is killing your precious time
Imagine that every day, instead of watching TV, you spend 2-3 hours at the gym, talking with your family, reading a good book or writing your first novel. However, you are probably running out of time as television takes up those precious hours.
Television energy vampire
The box deprives you of mental and physical strength. Spending a lot of time in front of the treasured screen makes you tired and exhausted. As a result, you are unable to complete important tasks that are put off until later. It literally slows down your energy, your rhythm of life, your activity.
It makes you stupid
Constantly watching too much TV degrades your brain. The complete absence of brain activity aimed at decision-making and creativity, replaced by passive consumption of information, turns a person into a vegetable.
TV takes a toll on finances
Do you think television is pretty cheap? Then look at how much money you spend on electricity, cable TV, DVDs, etc.
Information overdose
Remember the last time you watched on TV? What do you watch: a movie, then a program, and then a commercial, then the news, and then on? During the day you receive so much useless information that there is no talk of useful information. Even if you receive it, you are unlikely to remember it.
TV doesn't let you relax properly
The constant level of noise that comes from the TV prevents you from fully relaxing your brain. The excess of information received from the ill-fated box will not be able to be absorbed in your head. The result is headaches and fatigue.
Television has a bad effect on children
If you have children, you should minimize the time the TV is on. Television addiction has a very negative impact on a child's learning and development.
It has a negative impact on your health
In addition to the fact that TV worsens a person’s vision, it also spoils the figure. A sofa, TV and food are excellent conditions for gaining extra pounds.
