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IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
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Too Much of a Good Thing?
by Terry Miller Shannon, 07.30.04
No one's going to hold an O.C. intervention for you! |
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Ah, summer! And the living is ... crammed full of hour upon hour of soaps, fluffy novels, Web surfing, or [insert your favorite mindless habit here]. Can you ever have too much of a good thing?
My friend Lexi has a strange relationship with the boob tube: "Sometimes when I'm watching TV, I suddenly come to and realize my show is over — hours ago!" she says. "I'm so spaced out, I don't even notice!"
Sound familiar? I asked around, and everyone admitted to zoning out with TV, Web surfing, talking on the phone, computer games, shopping, gossiping, reading, e-mailing, or what-have-you. Sure, these are hardly dangerous habits. It could be worse ... but could it also be better? Where's the border between "relaxation" and escapism — between leisure time and totally wasting time?
Warning Signs
It's fine to occasionally chill out with The Sims, Friends reruns, romance novels, or whatever. But when "occasionally" becomes "excessively," these pastimes might interfere with reality. You might have too much of a good thing going with a given activity if
- you do it in excess
- it interferes with other activities — school (when summer is over), work, being with friends, eating, sleeping, etc.
- your goal is to escape from reality or to push aside something that's bothering you
- you space out while you're doing it and can't remember much about it afterwards
- you can't go a day without it
- you lie about how much time you spend doing it
Why You Do the Things You Do
Mindless habits can serve a purpose, providing distraction from the stresses of life. Momentary escape gives us time to rest up. But it's easy to turn a temporary breather into a full-time way of life. Repeating a habit is effortless compared to exploring new ventures.
Zoning out is not only easy — it's universally practiced and accepted. No one's going to hold an O.C. intervention for you! Sometimes spacing out is actually encouraged: when I spent my entire childhood reading, adults complimented me on how "intellectual" I was, instead of being appalled at how little physical activity and social interaction I was getting.
Look around you. You may have picked up life-avoidance techniques at home. Does your brother watch sports compulsively? Does your sister shop 24/7? Do your parents watch DVDs every night rather than talk?
How to Deal
Maybe you've decided you want to get a grip on your mindless habits. How do you go about doing it?
- Recognize what's going on. Keep track of how you spend your time and how you feel about the activity when you're done with it. What have you gained from your time?
- Pinpoint just one bad habit. Substitute something mind engaging for part of the time you spend doing it.
- Add new life-enhancing pleasures, like bonding with friends, learning to roll sushi, playing catch with your little sister, or hiking in the woods. Incorporate these pastimes into your routine, and let them replace the habits that aren't getting you anywhere.
- Enlist the help of people you trust. Let a friend know that you're trying to cut down on your sitcom intake, and encourage him to call you up and talk when that time rolls around.
Work to create a new routine at your own pace. Habits take a long time to develop, and they can take even longer to change, so don't be discouraged if you don't find a "new you" overnight. Hey, that's what the summer vacation is for! |
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