People say TV is a waste of time. Honestly, I consider it to be an art form. One in which story and character can reflect back to us parts of ourselves.
We can reflect, change and grow whilst sitting on the couch with popcorn, what's not to love?
When it comes to relationships, and creating healthy ones, TV shows can give us insight into truths we might not see otherwise. They can help us bring to our conscious awareness, things we didn't see before.
So here's my round-up:
Couples therapy
This show is addictive. Set in New York, Dr. Orna Guralnik, a clinical psychologist, meets with couples and you get to peek behind the curtain.
What I love about it is, you quickly realise how similar we all are. The fights and problems start to merge and this is true whether the couples are monogamous, ethically non-monogamous, long-distance, gay, heterosexual, with children or without.
If you'd love your partner to join you in couples therapy but they're resisting (which is also pretty common by the way). This might be a way to chat about things you're seeing in other couples, or even get them across the line when they realise couples therapy actually helps!
2. Love is blind
Yep, believe it or not, love is blind can actually be helpful (and frankly pretty entertaining).
Let's remember, it's a reality show, but it is edited. So we don't always see the full story.
But, whenever I've watched this show I've found it a great opportunity to witness how someone's past affects their present.
We aren't often aware of our own unconscious drivers, but when we can watch someone else, it's SO obvious. How their relationship with their dad is affecting the kind of partner they choose.
When couples are fighting, you notice what it's really about. We might even see glimmers of ourselves. You might notice similar patterns and behaviours in yourself, and in doing so you're bringing them from unconscious awareness to conscious awareness so you can shift them.
3. You
Whilst this show is not my idea of fun and therefore haven't watched it. I'm well across what it's about and the social commentary beneath the surface- so I'm going to fill you in...
So if you have watched it there's something to ponder in reflection, and if you'd like to skip it here's what the lesson is.
But first, here's what the show is about straight from Google reviews:
"Joe, an intense young man who frequently becomes smitten with beautiful, smart women. A charming yet awkward crush becomes something more sinister when love turns into obsession for Joe. Using social media and the internet, he uses every tool at his disposal to become close to the women of his dreams, even going so far as to remove any obstacle -- including people -- that stands in his way of getting to them."
Joe is played by Penn Badgley, an attractive guy. He has raised concern about viewers thinking this guy is 'boyfriend material'. Here's why it's a helpful watch… The show is an insightful social commentary on how we can very easily be patient and forgive someone who is attractive (that is actually something that Penn has said himself).
Thanks to growing up with Disney, rom-coms & society in general, we can also be led to believe that showering someone with praise, gifts, and overly attentive behaviour is a good thing. But, it can be a sign of something called 'love bombing'.
So this show can't show us how to have a healthy relationship. But it's incredibly eye-opening to what we as a society might consider good or desirable. What can see as attractive, can actually be a red-flag.
Keep reading more articles on dating and relationships here.
I'll add more shows as they come along. Contact me, and let me know if there's one you think I should add to this list.
Love Louise
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