It's called an 'Idiot Box' for a reason!

I have a horrible habit of sleeping with the television on. It's gotten so bad I feel I can't fall asleep without it. In fact I have the TV on for most of the day whether I'm watching it or not. I believe I got this behaviour from the Mother and have also passed it on to the Kid. For this I feel much anger and shame. And it has left me wondering how much television I am really exposed to?

So I thought about it. And the answer to that question is shocking. On average, between actually watching television, having it on for background noise and during sleep, that damn thing is on for approximately 20 HOURS A DAY!! That is beyond disturbing! And what's worse is that at the thought of turning the television off, I'm worried about what I'm going to do with my day?! I will actually have to do something with my day!!! But my fear of change and participating in the world at large aside, I decided to have a look on the internet as to what some of the side effects are of overexposure to television.

In a nutshell, increased amounts of television viewing...
*wrecks your concentration
*desensitizes your brain
*affects learning and memory
*disturbs sleep
*makes you fat
....to name only a few. They left out how it turns you into a big loser.
For the actual article go HERE

Then there's this article that says sleeping with the TV on can bring on depression or worsen existing depression. You can read it HERE

If my TV is on 20 hours a day, it's no wonder then that I'm fat, miserable, depressed and my brain no work....what was I talking about?

Earlier today when I realized the TV was going non stop, I simply turned it off. Keeping it off may prove difficult though. However this is a huge problem that needs some serious attention because it has some serious consequences and not just for me. It's the Kid too. We watch TV before school. We watch TV during meals. We watch TV while (or worse instead of) talking, exercising, working, blogging, socializing, you name it.


It has been used as a fast and easy way to escape my thoughts, my feelings and the outside world for too long. I'm no better or different than an alcoholic. I've been missing out on too much and hurting myself and others while doing it.

So for the greater good, I will take a stand against the addictive destructive boob tube and say YES to unplugging from yet another one of my habits.

Can you imagine if my life got better simply because I stopped watching television? Could it be that easy??