Binge watching – Is it cool?
Yup, my crime is binge-watching. And I am, no, I was seriously addicted. First, Hollywood series and then Korean dramas took over my world. I don’t think I can ever say goodbye. After all, they have given me company during my hard, sad, or boring days. Made me feel excited, scared, and thrilled, feelings that don’t come by easily in my world. I love this world. But then I had the epiphany, this is not my world. It is all a fantasy, to escape for a few hours, a day, or maybe even a few days. Wake up guys, for a lifetime it doesn’t make sense. So yeah, I knew I needed to change this habit. What is the meaning of this life if we leave our own story, to be in someone else’s?
Or is it sad?
I have known many who would get so lost in their binge watching world that studies, career, family all go for a toss. It definitely is worse for singles. If you always stay in the dramaland, when will you level up your own life? All protagonists have wonderful lives cause the story is torn, crossed, and written up multiple times. Hero immediately realizes heroin is his destiny, of course he can, it is written in the plot. But how many of us are so sure of the prospects we meet? Until, we live the moments, make mistakes, correct them, we may not end up with the perfect story of our life. But for that, we need to meet people, and encounter adventures. Most importantly get up from bed. It dawned on me one fine day, I am the star of my story and can learn from others not live theirs.
So here it starts, my experiments to trick binge watching addiction.
1. Watch without forwarding.
I know it does not sound like a big deal. But hear me out, it works wonderfully. The episodes are designed in such a way that there are some high moments and some low moments, there are different characters and subplots. They all are there to give the story a more authentic touch. But many of us just skip through those moments, focusing on the main story. When you watch continually, after a certain time, you will feel like giving it a rest. This is counter addictive. Instead, when you watch only the high points, you will feel a high but this feeling crashes after a certain time. Evident from the listlessness felt after watching too many similar movies or series.
The most beautiful and intense stories, you will not feel like skipping a bit. All the award-winning series have this thing in common. An intense story with great acting that somehow transports you into their world, and you do not even want to skip the rustling of wind. These kind of stories are not addictive but powerful. You would want to watch it all but at a slower pace. It is always a good idea to see one of these every few days.
2. Don’t skip a single song, even the title tracks.
Song and music are a part of the drama and help in building the ambiance. The notes, the lyrics, all convey the right emotion and make you mesmerized. Again it is the same logic as before, when you are totally into that feeling, after a certain time, your mind gives you an alert to take a break. When you skip scenes and songs, that alert can easily be ignored. These tips also make you enjoy the series even more.
3. Discuss with your friends.
When you have a habit of discussing the story or dialogues with a friend, you tend to be more present at the moment, and you will watch carefully without skipping. After all, you need to recall the plot later on to discuss.
4. Watch without subtitles.
Subtitles are more addictive hence whenever possible watch something in your language. Every few days watch a series without subtitles.
5. Try a variety of genres.
When you watch everything similar, especially similar story themes, you will get more transported to the other world and more disconnected from reality.
6. You cannot stop at the end of the episode, dont even try
Series are built in such a way that every episoide builds towards the end, thus trying to end it there is futile. How many times has it happened that you decide to watch only 2 episodes, but by the end of 2nd episode there is so much suspense that you end up watching next and next. If you have decided for 2, then stop after a few mins in the 3rd episode. Thats the point where it is easiest to skip.
Bonus tip :
This one is the most important tip and works like a charm. After following this, I have not been able to watch more than an episode at a time. Where watching 7 to 8 episodes a day was common earlier, now I feel like watching an episode over 7 to 8 days.
And the magical technique is to get passionate about something, develop a hobby, become part of a group. When you interact with people with similar hobbies (I don’t mean drama fan club) or even develop a solitude hobby, you will be immersed in it. There is nothing better than life’s calling. May it be painting, reading, real drama clubs where you can learn acting, etc. A hobby is nourishing and is addictive too. But the difference is that a real hobby develops your body, mind and soul.
Binge watching – when in control.
I love writing, and when I committed to this blog, everything else took a backstage. Now while watching a drama, if I get a new idea I start writing about it leaving my drama midway. With the right friends and groups, I tend to enjoy so much that I even procrastinate with my episodes. I recently completed a drama in a month. While, my usual speed during my addictive days was a weekend.
So yeah, I am having a great time in my life, and I still watch kdramas, as they are fun. I never intend to stop them, but my life has now taken a priority and I would prefer a drama on my life story than watching and sighing over others. Three cheers to my own life story and yours too.
Hi, I am a Life Coach and Blogger. I find there are too many simple solutions for problems that are ruining our lives. Life is too beautiful, to let it be stuck. This blog is a step towards identifying simple life hacks and living to our full potential. If you like what I write, join me on social media for continual updates.
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