YouTube Is An Addiction…Please Help Me!

You can say this is a sequel to my previous post titled, Is YouTube a Distraction or a Lifestyle? That post was from March 6, 2020 (pre-COVID) and I thought it’d be good to do an update on how I feel about that argument. After all, I’ve been stuck mostly at home for the past year and a half, with absolutely nothing to do. I’ve subscribed to a few new channels since the start of the pandemic, I lost interest in previous channels I was subscribed to, but I’ve stayed loyal to a few lucky ones as well.

So, is YouTube a distraction or a lifestyle? For me, YouTube is a distraction (more like an addiction) that I can’t seem to quit. I know some people do YouTube for a living and they probably have more control over how many videos they watch per day, but YouTube is my biggest weakness currently. I’d like to blame my brain for my addiction because random things, whether I was thinking about it before or not, pop into my head and I have to search up the video online. However, we all know that blaming others is not the answer.

I usually watch a video (or two) while I’m eating a meal, which is a bad thing. Recently, I’ve noticed that even after I’m done eating, I decide to watch one more video to let my meal settle before I get on with my day. But, one video leads to another and I’m brushing my teeth hours after I’ve finished my meal; I have retainers, so that’s not a good thing. I could always not watch YouTube while I’m eating, but where’s the fun in that? My life is boring enough as it is.

For a small period of Fall 2020, I tried listening to music on my Beats headphones while I eat, but I got tired of setting up the headphones to my phone and turning it on and off. Why would I waste all that time when I can just search up and play a video in less than a minute? I could eat my food in silence, but again, my life is too boring for that. 

I also use YouTube for my blog. I may have a new idea for a post, it could be a Richie Sambora album review or a post about my top five AC/DC songs, so I dig around on YouTube. The worse ones are those nostalgia posts involving Disney Channel or any of my favorite childhood shows. I love revisiting childhood entertainment because it keeps me grounded. Unfortunately, it distracts me and makes me lose my focus from what I was doing before. For example, I had an idea to do a post about my top 10 Disney Channel theme songs, but I got so caught up with American Dragon: Jake Long (2005 to 2007) and The Proud Family (2001 to 2005) that I lost interest in the project entirely.

Did I mention I do dance workouts on YouTube? Yeah, that’s another reason why I need YouTube in my life. It’s making use of what I have. There are great dance workouts (emkfit, you are the best) and Wiggles videos on YouTube, so there’s no need for me to buy expensive equipment and go to the gym to exercise. For those of you that think being a Wiggle is easy, it’s not, it’s dang hard with the choreography they have to do (or what the OG Wiggles had to do). Dance workouts are way more fun than doing burpees and ab exercises anyways. 

I really want to end this addiction, but I don’t want to. All of the solutions are right in front of me, but I’m avoiding them. I could go a day without YouTube by finding other things to do throughout the day, I could spend more time with my lovely DVD and CD collection, or I could set a timer to limit my time on YouTube. Those are all great options, yet, I’m avoiding them. I’ll admit, I’m too lazy to set up a timer and I’m not brave enough to go a full day without YouTube. I guess I can try the timer method again, it worked before. If I keep using a timer, then I might get used to it and it’ll become part of my routine.

Plus, how can I grow my CD collection if I’m not even listening to the ones I already own? Something has to change. I used to love listening to my old Justin Bieber, Austin & Ally, Camp Rock 2, and Lemonade Mouth CDs, so, it’d be great to jump back in the habit like the good old days. Things were less complicated before technology became more advanced. The guys from Sea of Tranquility have tons of albums, but they’re older than me, so they grew up relying on music for entertainment. 

I’m not going to give up YouTube, but I’m going to start limiting my time on the platform and watch less videos per day. I still need to laugh, after all. I rely on Team Edge and the Dangie Bros to provide me with quality content filled with hilarious challenges and competitions. Ok, I’m done promoting my favorite YouTube channels! I’ll end this post by saying, I’m not ashamed to admit I have a problem, but I am determined to quit my addiction. If I can make a change in my life, so can you!

Comment below your favorite YouTube channel currently and your favorite video by them!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana