[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.

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.

[Wild Coyote]

Hi, I don't binge on TV; yet I do find other diversions.
I have been writing out a schedule for the day -- written the night before -- and I try to stick to it. I work on things which need to be done for an hour (or two) and then give myself time off (an hour or two). This way it's a compromise.


WC

[Theseus]

I binge watch on weekends. I sack out in the recliner, with a throw over me, a dog or two and the cat piled on top of me (yes, sometimes all three of them jockey and jostle for the the best spot on daddy's lap ). I have plenty of books to read and music to listen to. But it's too easy to turn the tv on, pick up the remote and tell it "Matt Damon", and start watching his movies. Oh, and then order pizza or Chinese take-out... and have it delivered. I think of it as "down time".

[Gs550]

I don't think it's necessarily wrong to do it occasionally. I just feel like I do it too much. And it makes me feel really guilty.

[scatterbrained04]

I do that on the rare occasions that I don't have my son. Usually it's kid stuff on the only TV in my house. Instead I read and surf the net, which kind of leaves me feeling just as guilty as if I'd been watching TV.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Every day I'm in front of the TV even if I'm not paying attention. I'm usually on my phone during the time and sitting upright. But if I'm depressed I don't even pick my phone up and I'll watch tv laying down so I end up sleeping my days away.

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.

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

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.

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

I like binge watching and only wish there was more stuff i liked. I watched "Breaking Bad" for 16 hours one day! Riveting!

[Gs550]

I feel better if I spend my time reading. I do often feel sad when I've finished the book but I think that's more from being sad that it's over rather than depression. I don't know why reading feels ok when TV doesn't - either way you're following the stories of people that aren't actually a part of your life. Maybe because reading was much more valued in my family than TV? Or it feels more active?

I don't always feel guilty. If I've worked all day I sometimes feel like I deserve it. It's mostly on my days off, I feel like it would be much more productive or helpful or fulfilling to do yoga or go for a walk or meet a friend. But if I let myself get sucked into a show the likelihood that I can stop and do anything else decreases.

Other than the guilt, I'd say the worst thing that happens is sometimes i get so sucked in (this only applies to certain shows) that I stay up way too late to keep watching and then it screws up my sleep schedule.

I tend to like detective shows because it still has the excitement and mystery but the story is wrapped up in less than an hour. So I have an easier time stopping. I just started watching Homeland (for those not familiar, it's about the CIA and their fight against terrorists and the protagonist is bipolar so it's pretty interesting). Every episode ends with a cliffhanger so I feel like I have to keep watching.

[gina_re]

Television is my life. I know some people don't watch much tv, but I can't exist without it. For me, it's an escape from reality and I don't have to think of the thoughts I hear over and over. I will binge watch some shows, but mostly I record so many random shows that I always have something to watch. And I watch a lot of the other channels that people don't tend to watch. Sadly, this addiction to TV runs in the family...

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by rainyday107

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.

xo

Exactly!


WC