So, what is your subconscious, anyway? I’ll bet you know the definition subconsciously. But, just to review, the dictionary.com definition of the subconscious is: of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one’s actions and feelings. Furthermore, our subconscious contains all our memory, habits, beliefs, personality, and more.
Our subconscious has been programmed, over time. Influenced by every single image and sound that has come into our presence. Things from our childhood that we no longer even remember have made deep imprints on our subconscious. This subconscious programming dictates how we will act or react in any given situation.
Every action we take comes first from a thought. Every thought we have is based on preconceived subconscious beliefs that we’ve developed over time. If your subconscious belief is that you will fail; you will fail. If your subconscious belief is that you will succeed; you will succeed.
One of the biggest influences on our subconscious programming is digital media; specifically in the form of TV.
This is a true story.
A few years ago, my then 4-year-old had become quite interested in the makes of different cars. He loved to watch cars drive by and tell us the cars make. He had Ford, Toyota, Jeep, GMC, and Subaru down pat. So, one day we were at the park and a truck turned the corner right by us. Of course, Luke stopped to watch. He pointed and yelled out; “Toyota”. But this time he followed it with; “Let’s go places”. I was like; “ahem, what?” My precious little 4-year-old looked up at me with his big beautiful eyes and said; “Toyota means ‘Let’s go places’”. And I was just like… who. are. you.
If you had asked me what Toyota’s tagline was and my life depended on it; I would NEVER get it right. But the second Luke said it, I knew he was right because it had been buried deep in my subconscious… from watching all of those dang commercials.
TV has an insanely powerful effect on our subconscious programming. That is why limiting our TV time is so important!
You limit your child’s screen time; don’t you? Why not your own? Think about the reasons why you limit your child’s TV time: to minimize aggressive behavior, depression, and anxiety, stop isolation, avoid tantrums, and improve focus. Are those same things not important for yourself? If TV is so detrimental to children; it can’t be great for adults either, right?
If those reasons aren’t good enough for you, here are 4, adult specific reasons us moms should limit our screen time, too.
1.When you watch TV, you eat junk food.
Like, so much of it… and you don’t even realize it. Seriously. Sit down, put on a good show, start eating a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream, and, literally, before you know it, you’ve completely crushed that snack.
Numerous studies have shown that people consume more food while watching TV. This is because the mind becomes disconnected from the body. This disconnect stops your body from letting your mind know you’re full. Before you know it, you’ve annihilated more calories than you should in an entire day and you don’t even feel satisfied.
2. When you watch TV, you aren’t doing other, more productive, things.
Netflix. It’s changed the way we watch TV. And not for the better (though it is totally, momentarily gratifying). Instead of having a show or two we watch each night; we now have entire series at our fingertips, ready to binge.
My most recent binge was “Dead To Me”. I was HOOKED! So, instead of my normal nightly routine; I watched and watched until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. Here are just a few of the things I didn’t do on the nights I was bingeing “Dead To Me”: the dinner dishes, read a book, write, wash my face, catch up on local and national news, and get to sleep at a decent hour. Luckily “Dead To Me” was only 10 episodes so this was a short term binge; only lasting 4 nights. Imagine if I’d decided to rewatch GoT from the beginning (oh wait, I did). I may have forgotten I had children.
Now, my example only pertains to the hours after the kiddos are in bed. Imagine it on a larger scale; like the entire day. Just imagine all of the important, productive, and fun things I’d miss out on; like showering, hiking, swimming, playing basketball, preparing (and cleaning up) healthy meals, cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, visiting museums, state parks, and historic sites, reading a good book, and writing this blog post. I know, not all of those things are fun, but they’re necessary to a healthy life. It’s pretty simple… the less time you spend watching TV, the more time you have for other stuff.
3. When you limit TV time, you sleep better.
The images and sounds on TV can overstimulate your mind. After watching TV, you may feel exhausted but be unable to sleep. You could be left with anxiety; which will make you toss and turn all night. In addition, the content and images from what you just watched will linger in your subconscious and could resurface in your dreams.
It is important to give your mind some downtime between screen time and bedtime. The BEST thing to do before bed is to read.
4. When you limit TV time, you could live longer.
According to a study, if you limit your screen time, you could live longer. You can file that little gem of knowledge under #goals.
