Anxiety when viewing intense TV/Movies

L

LindaB

Member
Have You Noticed This? Am I weird? Has anyone noticed as you have aged, increasing anxiety when viewing particularly intense TV programs or movies? Sometimes I feel so anxious that I actually have to leave the room.
 

I've noticed that I don't want to watch shows with any violence. I even hate some of the ads that advertise some TV shows. That Snowpiercer looks so depressing and violent. With all that is going on, we need more light subject TV shows. Even more comedies.
So, yes. I know what you mean. When I can't even stand to watch the TV ads for the show, I certainly don't need to watch the actual show.
Hallmark has a mystery channel I'm going to explore.
 
Yes, I do seem more anxious about movies or TV shows with a lot of violence or suspense. I have never cared for that stuff but it seems like it bothers me more now. I usually change the channel and look for something else to watch.
 
I routinely fast-forward through violent parts of any and all shows I choose to watch. I've always been very sensitive to portrayed violence. The movie, Boxcar Bertha, disturbed me, greatly, as a nineteen year old guy. There's enough real violence in this world without adding to it by playing it up, onscreen.

I no longer enjoy watching close score, sporting events, when I have a great preference for one team over another. I will record a game, and watch it after I know the final score. Games that are close have triggered minor panic attacks, in me, when watched in real time, so I've learned the recording work-around, out of necessity.
 
I prefer non-fiction movies & I don't mind violence as long as it tells a story accurately. They do make me angry when justice doesn't prevail; it usually doesn't.
 
Remember when someone would get shot in an old-time western? They wouldn't even bleed, they'd just grab their chest and fall down. Today the depiction of violence is exceedingly graphic, complete with blood spatter. As increasingly jaded audiences have demanded more intensity, people are at first disturbed by it, eventually becoming desensitized. This is perhaps scariest of all...
 
What I dislike more than violence are these gritty shows where the characters have no redeeming qualities and all they do is bite and devour each other throughout the episode. Animal Kingdom is an example. Night Manager is another. Talk about depressing.
 
Ceege said:
I've noticed that I don't want to watch shows with any violence. I even hate some of the ads that advertise some TV shows. That Snowpiercer looks so depressing and violent. With all that is going on, we need more light subject TV shows. Even more comedies.
So, yes. I know what you mean. When I can't even stand to watch the TV ads for the show, I certainly don't need to watch the actual show.
Hallmark has a mystery channel I'm going to explore.
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I actually like Snowpiercer but it is really intense and somewhat violent. I donā€™t find it depressing. Itā€™s a survival story so that is probably depressing to some since in our current reality we are all trying to survive the virus.

Iā€™ve always found comedies to be degrading for the most part as they frequently make fun of other people so I rarely watch them. šŸ˜‚ Hadnā€™t thought about it until now. I find comedies depressing. What an interesting thread this will be.
 
Fyrefox said:
Remember when someone would get shot in an old-time western? They wouldn't even bleed, they'd just grab their chest and fall down. Today the depiction of violence is exceedingly graphic, complete with blood spatter. As increasingly jaded audiences have demanded more intensity, people are at first disturbed by it, eventually becoming desensitized. This is perhaps scariest of all...
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Yes and I actually wondered about this, why one bullet was not enough in later cowboys and mob movies. Then I realized bullets were different in the ā€œoldā€ days. As movies became more realistic cowboys and such were shot several times to incapacitate or kill the bad guy.

These days one bullet is enough (As bullets explode or something) and, in the movies, people have become better shots.
 
I've always been sensitive to violence and can't tell that its accelerating with age. The type of violence has a lot to do with it. I can watch war movies but not movies with deliberate cold-blooded violence or anything harmful to children. The more psychological the violence, the worse it is. The Grifters left me with nightmares for weeks. Usually I deliberately avoid movies like it or worse, but my roommate brought it home and I didn't know anything about it.
 
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LindaB said:
I LOVE Stephen King books. I find when reading suspenseful stuff I handle it better than watching it,
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not me. if they freak me out too much they go in the trash. one book i had read from a different author, i kept having to put down cuz it was so scary. lol!
 

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