We all have that one TV show that we just can't seem to let go of, that left us staring blankly into dark as the last credits scrolled and the music began to fade, that even months after it ended we still find ourselves thinking back to and wondering why there couldn’t be just one more season. Maybe your loyalty lies with "Breaking Bad" and you're stuck wondering what Jesse ends up doing with the rest of his life. Or, maybe you dedicated yourself to "Gossip Girl" and still can’t believe who the mysterious blogger turned out to be. If it wasn’t either of those shows that hooked you, maybe it was "Grey’s Anatomy," "Orange Is the New Black," or something else. Whatever the show, beware of the dangers that come with being emotionally invested in a TV show.
1. Time
You may tell yourself you’re only going to watch one episode, but how many times does that really happen? One leads to two, and before you know it you’ve been on the couch for hours binge watching your favorite show. If it weren’t for Netflix asking that dreaded question, “Are you still watching?” you may never make it out of the house.
2. No Human Connection
As sad as it is when your show comes to an end, it’s almost a relief; you can now enter back into the real world. All those texts you’ve been ignoring from your friends asking if you want to hangout or from your family wondering if they’re ever going to see you again can finally be answered.
Be prepared for questions asking where you've been followed by horrified looks and a way too late attempt at an intervention. A week ago it might have annoyed you, but now you just let them handle it. Honestly, it's nice to hear someone other than your computer or TV talking to you for once.
3. Lack of Sleep
Of course you can't sleep and watch your show at the same time! That's why you sacrifice your sleep to stay up and finish the rest of the season. At least, when you're alarm goes off tomorrow morning you won't be left wondering what happened in the last episode. The only things you'll have to worry about are the dark circles under your eyes and the judgmental looks that have been coming from that girl who sits next to you in class. It's like she knows what you did last night.
4. Skipping Class
You know it's time for your show to be over when you walk into class and your teachers and classmates look surprised to see you. You try to act normal, but who are you kidding you didn't even bring the right book. Looking back you realize that maybe you shouldn't have used all your personal days in a row, but I mean, come on. If everyone knew the crazy stuff that had been going on in the last season they would have skipped too.
5. Relapse
It’s bittersweet when you reach the end of the last episode; it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for and also the one you never wanted to come. From here you will most likely spend the next few weeks or months mourning the loss of your favorite show. This is normal; depression comes before acceptance in the grieving process. However, some people don’t make it to acceptance. Instead, they relapse.
For the last however many weeks, months, or years this show has been your constant; it gave you something to count on and look forward to. If you were having a bad day there was always that sense of comfort that came with cuddling up in bed and watching your show.
Now, that it’s over you don’t know what to do so you just start all over again. That’s right, we’re talking season one episode one. Here we go again.
