We all have shows that we love to watch and probably could re-watch a hundred times but nothing is quite like the feeling of actually being addicted to a show. Thanks to Netflix, we can feed into our addictions even more by binge watching season after season of a show. Nonstop Netflix watching can be all fun and games until you fall into the deep dark hole that is a TV show addiction.
So if you're trying to stay out of this hole or if you're just curious to see if your love for a TV show is more serious than you think, here are nine signs that prove you have a TV show obsession:
1. You get this paradoxical feeling of excitement and calmness when you hear the familiar "previously on..."
Something inside you changes when you hear the show come on. You get this feeling of relief and happiness that you're finally making time and watching the show but you also feel eager and anxious to see what's going to happen next. It's honestly the best combination of emotions and you know exactly what I'm talking about if you have a show that you're obsessed with.
2. When out of the house, you find yourself looking forward to getting home for the sole purpose of watching the show.
The show is pretty much always on your mind. You're always thinking about when you're going to be able to watch again and if you're not sitting at home binging, that's where you want to be.
3. You get excited when a friend cancels plans because it means more time spent lying on the couch binge watching.
Hanging out with friends and doing fun things that don't involve a TV screen are good and all, but it seriously gets in the way of your addiction. That moment when they cancel plans at the last minute is honestly so exciting to you because you know exactly what you're doing with that newly freed time.
4. Any chance you get, you try to bring the show up in conversation.
The show is now a part of your subconscious and you're just dying for somebody to talk to you about it. Since the show is basically all that has been going on in your life for a while, the characters' drama is your drama and you really need a discussion buddy.
5. You come up with tons of unrealistic ways in which you relate to the characters in the show.
As I touched on before, your mind is manipulating you into thinking that you are somehow a part of the characters' world and vice versa. Due to the fact that you have such a deep investment in the show and want to relate to the characters so bad, your subconscious is finding small ways in which you do so that you feel better about your own life. Deep, I know.
6. When you realize those reasons aren't true you find yourself wishing that your life was as exciting as those of the characters.
When you think a little more deeply about your life and realize that your drama is nothing like the totally made up and scripted storylines of the show, you find yourself wishing that it was. This is a little bit of a sad moment when you take in the fact that your life will probably never be as exciting as a TV show drama and you start to fall into the dark pit of Netflix addiction despair.
7. You can't just watch one episode, you have to watch at least six in a row.
Watching this show is like eating chips, you can't just eat one, you have to eat like 10. It's not a true addiction of you can stop yourself after just one episode.
8. You get so invested in the emotions of the characters that you start to feel crazy.
The moment when you start to uncontrollably sob when something sad happens to one of the characters in the show is the moment when you realize that your addiction is serious. When you think through everything and remember that nothing in the show is real, you start to feel like you're going just a little insane.
9. It brings you joy and allows you to escape the realities of your own dramatic life.
Ultimately, even though you feel a little crazy and both emotionally and physically drained from watching this show, it brings you a certain kind of joy that nothing else really can. If something bad is going on in your life, this is your short break away from it. If you're bored in your own life, this is your excitement. Honestly, the benefits are endless.
If you related to any of these signs, your obsession is definitely on a pretty high level. Having a show to love, no matter how insignificant and stupid it may seem to others, is a great feeling. It's important not to let it take over your whole life but having it in small doses does no harm. So the next time you get the chance: find a show, queue it up on Netflix and get some snacks because you're going to be in for a long ride.
