tv

Television: Relaxation in an Electronic Box

Christine Sharma

 

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Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Awkward, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Dexter, Suits, Orange is the New Black—oh my, there are an abundance of TV shows detracting from your attention to schoolwork.

With exams around the corner and your favourite shows either ending or beginning (Game of Thrones, April 12!), TV is a huge distraction. Some say it turns your brain to mush; some say TV is a tool for procrastination.

Well, I say that TV is a great way to relax.

Although keeping up with our favourite TV shows (Game of Thrones, I love you) is difficult during the year amidst assignments, midterms, tests, and readings, I feel relieved when I get a moment away from my textbooks to watch a show. No reading, no writing, no stressing. Another world, characters you feel like you know, and a plot-line that keeps you wanting more—TV is the perfect escape from our book-bound lives.

I think that every student needs at least one TV show they love to watch to keep up with throughout the school year (ahem, Game of Thrones in the summer semester this year). If you don’t have a show to watch, ask your friends or Google for a suggestion. You could use the escape.

Once you’ve found your magical TV show (or five, or Game of Thrones), start watching! I guarantee you will feel less stressed about your life afterwards. Fair warning: although TV is great for relaxation, an overdose or a binge-watch could be catastrophic for your looming deadlines.

When it comes to shows, the watcher absolutely must be cautious about how much time they allot to watching episodes. Time management is essential here. Like any other relaxation method (the gym, meditation, food…), too much TV might put you in a time crunch for finishing that essay or studying for that midterm.

Try using TV as a reward. For every two hours you study or write, you get to watch an episode. Or for every 50 minutes you study, you get to watch 10 minutes of an episode. Finishing an assignment and a series simultaneously has never been so easy. Personally, I follow two shows maximum at a time so I can put school first.

So grab a blanket, a healthy snack, and some tea. De-stress and watch something!

Television Ruined My Life

Jackie Lagos

I blame television for my false expectations of university.

Remember shows like Beverley Hills, 90210 (Donna Martin graduates!), Saved By The Bell, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, The O.C? I most definitely do. How could I not? I lived and breathed these shows. I followed Brenda, Brandon and the gang to university; I was there in front of the TV when Zack proposed to Kelly; I watched Summer Roberts dominate university while coping with the loss of Marissa.

Oh yes, I was there, watching and learning, maybe a little bit too much. Most, no, all of my ideologies and influences have come from these popular, American teen drama shows from the 90’s/2000’s. They showed me how to dress, how to act, how not to act, what I should expect in my high school years, and more importantly, what to expect of university (or college as these popular American TV shows called it). But what these shows did not prepare me for is the harsh reality of university, or rather University of Toronto.

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