solution? how to overcome tv addiction?
well, pleading with myself to stop watching these silly shows didn’t work. i needed more motivation.
here are some strategies and tips that helped me in conquering my recent tv addiction.
i hope they can be of help in your life.
1. focus on your food when eating
it’s so tempting to turn on the tv while we eat. we tell ourselves, “i’m gonna be eating and doing nothing else. might as well be entertained as i eat.” but before we know it, we’ll end up spending more time than necessary in front of the television, and not really tasting or enjoying our food. also, i tend to overeat when i’m distracted, which leaves me feeling bloated and lazy.
next time you eat, try fully focusing on the wonderful aromas and flavors in your food when and on nothing else. concentrate on the taste and texture of your food. feel it giving you energy as you eat. this is actually a form of meditation that can center you. try it!
2. break old routines
if your habit is to turn on the tv immediately after you come home, then try changing your routine to break the habit. what can you do for 10 minutes after coming home instead of flicking on the tv? connect with a friend? read an inspirational story? have a snack? get exercise? do some yoga or meditation?
3. plan your escape route
before turning on the tv for a specific show, know exactly what you’re going to do after the show. it helps to write the task out on paper along with reasons why you should do this task. for example, “after watching the amazing race at 9pm, i will go out for a run because it makes me feel healthy and gives me energy.”
4. get used to using the off button
once you know exactly what you’re going to do immediately following a show, practice turning off the tv once the show is done.
5. use television as a reward
instead of saying, “i’ll go do my task when i’m done watching my show.” develop the discipline to reward yourself with the show when you are done with the task.
6. ask yourself why?
find a quiet place without interruption. close your eyes for several minutes and focus on your breath. then ask yourself: why do i want to watch this tv show? what do i have to gain? we are all intelligent beings and we all know the answers deep within us. when i asked myself this, i realized that it was because these shows provided a convenient excuse for me to avoid my responsibilities. it was easier and more comfortable than ‘work’ that has long term benefits.
7. simple reduction
list out all the shows you watch and see which ones you can cut out. start with eliminating one show and gradually release the unnecessary shows one by one. remember to ask yourself when evaluating each show, “what am i gaining from watching this? is it going to bring me lasting happiness and fulfillment?”
8. television allowance
give yourself a self-imposed limit to tv watching in a day or week. this will force you to put your television appetite on a diet. try starting with half the hours you currently watch. i have reduced myself to watching one hour of tv a week: “the amazing race” every sunday.
9. visualized pain
did you know that we are willing to go to more extremes to avoid pain than we are to gain pleasure? we tend to choose tv over a responsibility because in that moment, we fail to see the pain of not following through on our responsibilities.
try this: close your eyes. visualize the pain you would feel by not doing a task. make it as real as possible, feel it with all senses. intensify the feeling. double the intensity several times if you can. after a few minutes, imagine the pleasure and freedom after you’ve completed the task (and are rewarded with the show). again visualize and feel it with absolute intensity.
hypothetical situation: you have a report to complete before tomorrow morning at 9am. to visualize the pain, you could imagine the stress created from procrastination later on that night and the agitated feeling you’ll experience the next day from lack of sleep. for pleasure, you could imagine the wonderful feelings of self-empowerment and freedom now that you have your report completed. see yourself sleeping at a reasonable hour and feeling refreshed and energetic the next day.
what are your thoughts on tv watching?
原文链接：
解决方案？如何克服沉溺于电视的坏习惯？
当然，让我停止看这些无意义的电视节目并没有什么作用。我需要更多的动力。
以下是最近帮助我克服沉溺于电视的战略和建议。
我希望这些建议对你的生活也有帮助。
1 当你吃饭的时候专注于你的食物
当我们吃饭的时候我们会习惯性地去打开电视。我们对自己说，“我除了吃饭外也没什么事要做。我可以在吃饭的时候看会电视娱乐一下。”但在我们意识前，我们已在电视机前吃了过长的时间，而且没有真正的享受美食。而且在分心的时候我们常常会吃过多的食物，这让我感到臃肿和懒散。
下次吃饭的时候，试着专注于食物的香味，其他什么事情也不做。专注于食物的味道和嚼劲。当吃食物的时候你感觉到食物给你带来的能量。这实际上是帮你集中注意力的一种冥想方法。试试看吧！
2 戒掉习惯
如果你习惯一回去就打开电视，试着改变你的习惯，在回家后的10分钟，除了打开电视你还能做点什么呢？和朋友联系？读一个能使你振奋的故事？休息一会儿？锻炼以下？又或者是做会儿瑜珈或者冥想？
3 计划你的逃脱方案
在打开电视看你想要看的节目前，你要明白在节目结束后你想要做什么。在你写下你要做的事后附上你做这些事情的理由。例如，“在九点看完amazing race后，我得去跑步，因为跑步能使我充满活力。”
4 要习惯按关闭键
一旦你明白在看完节目后要做什么，就要在节目结束后马上关掉电视。
5 将看电视作为奖励
不要再说：“等我看完电视节目后再去做我应该做的工作。”在你完成你的工作后用看电视来奖励你自己。
6 问问你自己为什么？
找到一个安静的地方不受任何的干扰。花几分钟时间闭上你地眼睛专注于你的呼吸。然后问你自己：为什么我要看这个电视节目？我能从节目中收获到什么？
我们是有智力的生物，我们都明白做什么事情才是有意义的。当我自己问自己这个问题的时候，我意识到我是用要看这些节目作为借口不去做我应该做的事情。看电视当然比起那些有益我们的工作更舒服。
7 减少
将你要看的电视列出来，看看那些是你可以不看的。开始的时候只要删除一个节目，慢慢地一个一个删除去那些对你无益的节目。当你在衡量你是否有必要看这个节目的时候问问你自己“我会从这个节目中收获到什么？它是否会给我带来欢乐，让我感到充实？”
8 电视津贴
给你在一天或一周内看电视的时间设个限制。这将满足你看电视的欲望。试着将你看电视的时间减半。我将我看电视的时间减少到一周一个小时，每周日的“the amazing race”。
9 想象痛苦
你知道我们人类为了逃避痛苦比为了获取欢乐更容易走极端吗？我们宁愿现在看电视也不去做工作。那时因为在那一刻我们看不到我们没有完成任务将会受到的痛苦。
试试以下的方法：闭上你的眼睛。想象无法完成任务后你需要面临的痛苦。尽量将起真实化，全方位感受这种痛苦，集中注意力去感受。尽你最大的努力双倍的集中注意力。过几分钟后，想象你完成任务后的那种自由感和满足感（而且你可以将看电视作为奖励）。集中注意力再次感受和想象你会遭受到的痛苦。
假设情境：在明早9点前你必须完成一个报告。为了将痛苦有更深切的感受，你可以想象因看电视推迟不完成任务将承受的压力和第二天因缺乏睡眠将遭受到的折磨。你可以想象你完成报告后第二天的自在，这样你就更有动力。有充足的睡眠，第二天就会精力充沛。
你对看电视有什么看法呢？