You get home after a long day of classes, sports, or work. You grab a snack and plop down on the couch, ready to unwind. After some aggressive channel surfing or scrolling through your streaming queue, you finally settle on something to watch. Fast forward a few hours later…you’ve binged an entire series and it’s suddenly 2am!

We’ve all been there. The endless scrolling in search of something that grabs our attention. Getting pulled into a show or movie and losing all track of time. Media can definitely suck us in, for better or worse!

While watching shows and movies is fun and helps us relax, it’s good to keep some balance. I used to always joke with my friends about our “glazed over” zombie faces from staring at a screen too long. We wouldn’t even realize hours had gone by! Now I try to be a little more mindful of my viewing habits.

Don’t get me wrong – I still love movies just as much now as when I was a kid going to the cinema every weekend. And streaming shows is pretty much my favorite hobby. But over time I’ve realized some simple tricks to make my viewing experience more enjoyable and less, well, excessive.

Choose Quality Over Quantity

When I was younger, it was almost like a badge of honor to say “I’ve seen every episode!” or “I watched 10 episodes yesterday!”. Bingeing was my middle name. After one show finished, I’d quickly jump to the next thing on my list.

Now I’m more selective. If something doesn’t grab me in the first 10-15 minutes, I don’t force myself to finish it. With so many amazing shows out there, why waste time on something “just okay” when you could watch something you genuinely love?

Similarly with movies, I read lots of reviews, ask friends for suggestions, and check ratings to find high quality picks that I’ll actually enjoy. It’s better than randomly watching whatever pops up first on Netflix.

Set Viewing Intentions

Sometimes sitting down in front of the TV without a plan leads to aimless channel surfing for far too long. To avoid falling down an endless media rabbit hole, I’ve started setting viewing intentions before I start watching something.

I ask myself things like:

• What do I want to get out of this viewing experience? (Do I want to laugh? Learn something? Be at the edge of my seat?)
• How much time can I devote to watching at this moment?
• If I’m watching something entertaining but intense or scary, do I need to limit my viewing before bedtime so I can wind down properly after?

Having this quick mental checklist keeps me more conscious about what I choose to watch and why.

Schedule Media Time

After too many late night binge sessions, I learned I needed to schedule my TV time rather than just watch whenever. I set viewing appointments on my calendar and stick to them, which helps curb the temptation to keep hitting “Next Episode”.

Weekday evenings I limit shows to 30-60 minutes – just enough to unwind after work or studying without staying up too late. My weekends are more flexible based on my plans – maybe a movie night with friends on Friday, and some more relaxed bingeing time Sunday afternoon.

Scheduling viewing appointments also makes the time I do spend watching shows feel more special, since I look forward to my scheduled media time.

Balance Solo and Social Viewing

While getting sucked into shows by myself is awesome, sometimes the constant solo viewing made me feel a bit antisocial. So I started balancing it out more with “TV nights” at friends’ houses where we’d marathon seasons together. There’s something really fun about live reacting out loud and bonding over new favorite characters!

Group viewing reminds me to take a break and enjoy real humans too. And for anyone with roommate drama over the remote or TV schedules, having dedicated shared viewing times helps avoid conflicts.

Try “Co-Viewing”

If you can’t always sync schedules for in-person viewing parties, you can still connect with friends through virtual co-viewing. Services like Scener, Netflix Party, and Watch2Gether allow you to video chat or text while streaming the same show in perfect sync.

My friends and I will pick a new series, hop on one of these apps, and react to shocking twists or crack jokes as episodes unfold together in real time. It brings some of the communal view experience online when we can’t be in the same location.

Explore Beyond the Screen

Of course no matter how awesome a show or movie is, staring at a screen for too long strains the eyes and overloads the brain. So it’s important to take viewing breaks!

Some ideas: get outside for a walk or run, play a quick video game match, call up family members you haven’t talked to in a while, try out a new TikTok dance trend…anything to give your eyes a rest.

You can also explore shows themselves beyond just watching – like checking out behind-the-scenes footage, listening to recap podcasts for your favorite series while commuting, or reading up on interesting fan theories. There’s a whole world beyond your television!

Most importantly though, don’t forget your real world friends in favor of fictional ones. Use exciting plot twists or funny jokes as conversation starters with peers. And nudge any homebody friends to take a break from endless streaming to grab food or just hang out away from any screens!

Enjoy Post-Viewing Reflection

Especially after finishing a really impactful series finale or thought-provoking movie, take some time to reflect on what you watched. Journal about how it made you feel or the interesting questions it brought up.

Sometimes shows can spur new ideas about life, relationships, careers, or even spark an interest you want to explore further like learning an instrument or researching more about a historical event. Capture those inspirations before they fade!

Re-reading my old journal entries about some of my favorite childhood movies makes me so nostalgic. It’s fun to see how my perspective has changed (or not changed) as I get older. And it reminds me just how much movies shaped my interests over the years without me even realizing it.

So try to stay reflective about the shows and films you take in too as you grow and evolve. You might be surprised how much media impacts you!

The End…Or Is It?

And there you have it – my tips for balancing and enhancing your movie and TV watching experience as a young adult! While you should absolutely still enjoy all the entertaining stories playing out on our screens (I know I will!), be mindful about scheduling viewing, taking breaks, connecting beyond the screen, and reflecting after watching.

Hope these simple tricks help you stay in control of your media intake as you unwind, rather than feeling like you’re binge-watching your life away. Because as many great fictional tales there are to get lost in, the real world awaits you just outside your streaming queue!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I see the next episode countdown rolling…who am I to leave my new favorite characters waiting?! Just one more couldn’t hurt…