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Originally Posted by Gs550
I know when I'm depressed I'll binge watch, of course. But there are times when I'm in a more neutral mood, or maybe only slightly down, and if I spend all day/night watching TV I feel worse afterwards. Guilty for not being productive, like I'm wasting my life watching fictional people live theirs, etc. And of course if I'm already depressed allowing myself to wallow only makes it harder to get out of it.
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Overall, I don't think it is a problem. If you are drinking a bunch of alcohol when you watch - I'd consider it a problem. Because of the alcohol.
If you are blowing off significant responsibilities like parenting young children or calling into work ... I'd consider it a problem.
If you are having maladaptive daydreaming where you consider the fictional characters as almost like "real people" and you think about the characters and their "lives" when you are not watching - then I think it's a problem.
If you have a partner that doesn't enjoy tv and you neglect your relationship due to a lot of time watching tv, I think you may need to balance it out.
Otherwise - I think you should go easier on yourself. I think it is OK. If you continue to feel guilty, remember that feeling guilty is a symptom
of depression. So your feelings of guilt likely would exist even if you did not own a tv.
I can think of SO many things that are much more harmful. xo
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Does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it? I feel like an addict, I want to reduce my TV time but never can, sometimes I think about swearing off TV cold turkey but never have the will power.
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I spend a lot of my time reading. Always been a reader. I do binge read, at times. I'm ok with it. As to tv, I don't have cable but I do have Netflix. If I find a show that I like, I will watch a few episodes in a row. I prefer that over one episode and then wait a week, etc,, because I will lose interest.
Maybe write down three things each day. Tasks you can complete that day or a chunk of a larger task. Complete those tasks prior to tv. If you work, make it my 1-2 tasks. Then watch tv.
I grew up in a household where tv was "stupid" and you just couldn't relax at home, period. Naps were for babies. Now that I am an adult, I run things my way. If this sounds familiar to you - set yourself free and do what pleases you.
If tv is making your depression worse, try a daily walk and see if that helps. Get you moving and so on. I wear a FitBit to remind me to keep motion in my day. Or talk to your /pdoc therapist if it continues to bother you, exacerbates your depression, etc.
Keep us posted. I think you are fine. I do hope you feel better.
What programs do you like? xo