How often do you come home from a challenging day and do what you intended to do when you were at peace last weekend? You simply decided, this week I’ll start…or restart. If you’re like many people, your good intentions are paving the path to hell as the old saying goes.   If fact that phrase is so popular that when I Googled “good intentions” a paving company came up! That made me laugh, but then seriously…isn’t that terrible?

 Vocabulary.com dictionary states, “An intention is an idea that you plan (or intend) to carry out. If you mean something, it’s an intention. Your goal, purpose or aim is your intention.” An example they give is, “You may have the intention of cooking an incredible meal, but if you leave the burner on and burn the house down, you will not be remembered as an excellent chef.”

As humans, we typically fail when it comes to changing habits without a plan. Our intentions need to be given a goal to become a new habit. What we typically do it, plop on the couch and say to yourself “You deserve to relax” and forget that intention of becoming a healthier you. You fall into the old habit of numbing out on Netflix or some other streaming show.  Before you know it that intention of “I’ll do it later” is gone and you’ve wasted hours with TV. paving another mile to hell.

Or what about the recent phenomena of doomscrolling or doomsurfing? Without even knowing the name of this alarming addiction you might be getting lost in some black holes in the news media. The term doomscrolling started being used in October 2018 in a post on Twitter, as reported by Karen Ho.  It’s in reference to the habitual search for answers about catastrophes.  Or perhaps on a lighter note, you’ve found some great tips for next year’s Christmas dolling on Pinterest.  Maybe you’ve even found or looked at the world’s smallest dog and wondered if you could sneak him into work in your bag if you had him or shared it with 20 friends. No matter what shade of gray you’ve been involved in excessive use of screen time and the loss of many hours that could have been used to become a healthier you.

 According to Wikipedia, “in 2017 alone, an average consumer spent 3 hours and 58 daily watching TV”. According to another report, Nielsen reported that “United States adults are watching five hours and four minutes of TV per day”!  Don’t even get me started on screen time.  The Zombie walk of many, the walking dead. Is anybody looking up these days into the eyes of others? Is it any wonder we’re the most connected people ever, but also the most lonely people with depression, anxiety and a lack of social connection reating

40% of Americans always or often watch TV while eating dinner.

• Eating dinner or snacking in front of the TV is linked to overeating and dissatisfaction. When you're distracted, you're not mindful of the meal you are eating, causing you to eat more without realizing it or really enjoying your food. Turn off the TV (and other distractions like the computer or social media and games on your phone), and you'll savor that portion-controlled meal.

By age 65, the average American has seen 2 million TV commercials.

• Many of the commercials we see show appetizing foods-fast food, junk food, soda, alcohol, sugary cereals, and candy. Think "out of sight, out of mind."

Doomscrolling or Doomsurfing

· Kathy Katella, Yale Medicine April 13th, 2020 states, “If you are doomsurfing, it may be time to take a step back and ask yourself what you really need to know.”  This is in reference to people who are relentlessly searching the internet, and in this day and age it is due to Covid-19.   Mark Barabak described “doomscrolling as an excessive amount of screen time devoted to the absorption of dystopian news.”  Kevin Roose from the New York Times stated in March of 2020, “I’ve been doing a lot of this kind of doomsurfing – falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with corona-virus content, agitating myself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night’s sleep.”

Digital Detox from TV/Screen time

Consider turning off that TV/screen of any kind for just a week.   If you’re really addicted try a day or even an evening to start.  There are official "TV-Turnoff Weeks,"  and Screen-Free Weeks set aside each year. They are great opportunities for adults, families and children to experience life without television. For seven days, people around the world will turn off their TVs or screens off!   This can also be given up for Lent or set as a goal if you find yourself unable to start that new habit as the intention is killed with the lure of the screen. So, no matter what time of year it is you can have a no TV or screen time week (day or evening).

This challenge will assist you in seeing just how many hours you waste with a screen. I also believe you’ll ‘suddenly” find the time to become that healthier you!  You’ll have time to cook a meal from scratch, do a yoga video, get to bed earlier and feel really rested in the morning. The time can be spent playing a game with your family, reading a good book or getting time to enjoy a hobby or take a walk. 

The healthy habits you desire can fill the time, it’s really a magical experience to get more time. Have the family join you! If you’re a lone wolf come up with a list of activities and things you want to do, shut off the screens and get to it! You’ll be able to turn that good intentions list into actionable items and feel accomplished.  Like anything, if we want something to happen, we need to plan it and create the time.  We all have 24/7 so it’s up to YOU to decide if you want to become that healthier you with your time. Or do you want to sit in front of a screen and wish your life away, thinking tomorrow or someday?

For more information on TV-Turnoff Week, visit: www.tvturnoff.org

For more information on Screen-Free Week, visit: www.screenfree.org