Do You Have TV Brain?
What would happen if you removed every television in your house? Or hid the remotes? Or secretly disconnected the cable or satellite box? Would panic and pandemonium result?
As a rule, we live very sedentary lifestyles, spending far too much time wasting away in front of the television set, amusing ourselves to death.
Marilyn Vos Savant, who holds the record for the highest IQ in the Guinness Book of World Records, believes that television presents a distorted view of reality and reduces your ability to think. TV dramas present scenarios that are neatly wrapped up by the time the show ends. You may have noticed that this isn’t how life really works!
Consider cutting back or limiting your use of television. Here are some helpful hints:
- Decide what you will do instead. Read. Do a crossword puzzle. Take a walk. Play a board game. Call a friend. Volunteer at a nursing home. Do, rather than watch. Any of these activities keep your brain active and thinking - rather than deteriorating into "TV Brain."
- Make a schedule and stick to it. Include only “must see” viewing. Make a “TV allowance” for your children and set it up as a reward system, while still limiting the viewing time.
- Never watch TV while eating. Make mealtime family time. Make it sacred and media-free. Learn about each other’s day.
- Close the doors on the television or cover it so it’s not in plain sight.
- Get rid of all the extra televisions in your house – especially in kids’ rooms where they can isolate themselves from others.
- Limit your viewing to just movies or educational videos.
Don't let life pass you by while you sit idly watching someone else's life on the tube! Get up and get active. Use your brain and get some exercise. You're guaranteed to feel better as a result.
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