Recently, someone compared me to a particular character in a television series. I just laughed, not just because the person was somehow right, but because I saw what else was going on.

Like some of us, she had caught the bug and now, couldn’t shut up or go a day without thinking about that particular series.

Here are some – if you can relate with any, then you’re probably hooked too.

1. You binge watch
This is the most obvious giveaway. It’s only natural to watch once per day or week depending on the airing schedule but some of us demonstrate the most restraint to watch in bits just so we can go all marathon and watch a dozen episodes at a go.

This is when you find out one ‘lazy Saturday’ about eight hours later that you haven’t moved an inch. Some even deliberately miss out on social events just so they can finish the season.


2. You take characters way too personally
‘It’s just a show’ but you’ve become best friends with TV characters
You tell yourself it’s just a show but mentally, the main characters are your best friends. Even when you’re not watching, you go about your daily activities wondering what their next move should be: like their relationship choices and so on.

You loathe their antagonists on the show just as much as they do and should your ‘friend’ experience a personal tragedy; you tend to feel their pain. God forbid they die because you might even consider holding a memorial for them.

3. You make lifestyle choices based on the show
Where did that lovely dress come from? Of course you saw something like that on Donna in Suits.
You feel the need to connect on an even deeper level with the characters so you make fashion and food choices based on their actions.

Your favourite new quote is from the show and you suddenly elevate your admiration for an online acquaintance because they watch the show too.



4. You begin stalking
When you start looking up your favourite characters online
You might convince yourself that it’s all trivia but we really know what’s going on. Nobody likes to be called a stalker but if you’re in a room and someone wonders why a certain doctor is no longer in Grey’s Anatomy only for you to provide a logical explanation beyond the show, you’re in stalker territory. When you start searching out your favourite characters online to know about their real life activities, family, etc., ha, ‘you have entered it’.

5. You’ve become a self-appointed mascot
Because of how invested you are in the show, you feel a need to defend it at all times. If someone doesn’t like the programme, you feel personally offended. If they’re simply dismissive, you feel a strong need to help them reorder their priorities. You’re like, ‘How come these guys aren’t watching Game of Thrones? What are they now doing with their time?!’



6. You exhibit withdrawal symptoms
When you realise it’s months before the next season of your favourite show
Some of my favourite shows won’t begin their next season towards the middle of 2017 and I’m pretty bummed out about it. This is where you realise similarities like you’re being weaned off a drug.

The end of a current season can make some of us emotional wrecks (I’m exaggerating). You’re pretty hopeful though, as you countdown to the new season with as much enthusiasm as you would do when it’s Christmas,