5 signs your TV binge-watching habit is out of control

5 signs your TV binge-watching habit is out of control5 signs your TV binge-watching habit is out of controlBinge-watching TVis pretty much the best thing ever. You find ashowyou love, and you fall down the rabbit hole, enjoying it for hours upon hours, until youve finished the series and are ready to find your next obsession. Streaming platforms have offered us a safe haven away from thestresses of daily life- a place where we can easily cuddle up anywhere, anytime and indulge in some good, mindless fun.But, like any good thing, binge-watchingcango too far. Any time we have the word binge in a sentence, we should pause, whether were talking pizza, new shoes, wine, or TV, cautions clinical psychologist andInnovation360clinical directorDr. Kevin Gilliland. Like all the things in that sentence, there is nothing wrong with watching TV but all things in moderation Gilliland has identified five symptoms that your TV habit has spiraled just a little out of control, so you can be on the lo okout for these signs in your own life. If they sound familiar, it may be time to start a self-imposed break from your current streaming addiction.1. Youre not sleeping as much as you need toSome of your best bingeing happens in the hours between when you get home from work and when you go to bed, and those sessions have been extending longer and longer into the evening. You get so caught up in your current show that you often find yourself pushing back your usual bedtime to allow for a few more eps, or even falling asleep on the couch and dragging yourself to bed well after midnight. And you wonder why youre exhausted during the day If you feel unusually tired, its worth examining the kinds of hours youve been keeping and evaluating whether or not your new TV obsession is responsible.2. Your diet has changedYoure so eager to start watching your show when you get home that you cant bring yourself to cook. Instead, you place an buchen for take-out or settle for a dinners worth of sna cks. This is totally fine occasionally - life is more fun when you can have snacks for dinner sometimes - but if its becoming a habit, you may need to ask yourself if television bingeing is to blame. A drastic change to your routines is an indication that there may be a bit of an issue at hand.3. Youre less active than usual.When you compare your activity level to a year ago, how has it changed? Gilliland asks. Has your time gone to your TV? Our bodies are meant to move. No ones suggesting that you run eight miles on a daily basis, but if youre regularly forgoing former physical activity to make time to burn through another show on Netflix or Hulu, things may have gone too far. (If youre looking for motivation to get to the gym this winter, only watching your fave when youre on your cardio machine of choice can be a great reason to drag yourself out the door.)4. Youre reluctant to make other plansYoure making excuses to skip happy hour with your coworkers, pass on weekly brunch, l eave friends birthday parties early all because you cant wait to get back to your couch and remote. Not a good sign When we start to choose TV over doing things with friends, it can end with us feeling isolated and disconnected, Gilliland tells us. Thats bad for humans.5. Youre avoiding peopleYour BFF has already finished the series youre bingeing, and youre so fixated on avoiding spoilers that you find yourself chatting with them less than usual. Youre also constantly craving the quiet of your own apartment and your own TV. Everyone needs - and is entitled to - their alone time, but if youre actively choosing to be alone more than would typically be comfortable for you, it might be time for you to go cold turkey on streaming until the balance is back to normal.This article was originally published on Brit + Co.