Hooked onto TV - is this normal ?

Those who have been reading my posts already know my marital situation to an extent. I have been getting no support or love or regard from my DH since quite sometime now. I speak as little as possible with my in-laws as I find them to be a whining crying lot who will never appreciate what they have in life and make a mountain out of mole-hill for things that they don't have (read: things that they don't deserve either). Well, I stay alone often and I have no emotional support from anyone. With several years into marriage and an extremely unhappy and unfulfilling marital life due to constant interference of in-laws that too over phone and consequent misbehaviour of hubby, and no child, I now don't even feel like talking to others, be it friends, family members(my side) because all of them have their own lives - their own husbands - happily married or not, own kids, staying together whether happily or otherwise.

Since I am a strong person, I doubt I would slip into clinical depression despite a very unhappy marital life. I always liked watching TV though I was never one to watch it for hours on end. Of late, I have noticed that I feel very happy watching TV and it seems that I have become emotionally dependent on characters on TV shows and soaps. I feel very sad when someone is shown to be dying and things like that. This has not affected my life in anyway except that I find myself emotionally involved and happy while watching those TV shows and soaps.

What has happened to me ? What would be the end of this behaviour ? Will I become socially dead one day if I continue like this ? Is this happiness some manifestation of 'feeling of relaxation' or is it a projection of my marital unhappiness onto TV ? Or is it a sign of emotional weakness ? Or is it driven by mere survival instinct ?

 

I still don't watch a lot of TV now, just two-three hours everyday. It could be a lot for some, though. Well, there is nothing really to address as my hubby wants divorce and I am against it. Read my previous post:
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/r...248605-sick-of-husbands-constant-refrain.html

Yes, that is the point I am admitting. TV is an escape-hatch for me. My question is : how is that wrong? What is the short-term and long-term harm in it ? I feel the characters of my favourite TV soaps as special and important and their death disturbs me.
Any psychologists out here ? Looking for your advice.

 

Yes, they don't live with me and stay 7 hours away (by train). But, what is your point ?

They hardly come to stay with me/us and for this they keep blaming me to my husband all the time. So, even though, most of you would think that I should have no problems because they don't stay with me, the issue is that every now and then my DH is made to feel as to why they can't stay with us or visit us often. My hubby is all ears! In all this blame-game and putting me down tactic, everyone forgets that even 'I' hardly get to stay with my hubby with whom I was supposed to stay forever.

Maya, the issue is not at all with the time spent on watching TV or with watching TV per se but rather with feeling so deeply for the TV characters and identifying with them at such a personal level. I feel so happy when my characters are happy and achieve their goals and feel disturbed if my characters die.

 

Honestly, I don't believe in the concept of divorce based on incompatibility between partners who were betrothed because they were in love, unless there are issues of fraud, infidelity, gross physical abuse or gross financial abuse of one partner by the other. There is no issue of fraud or infidelity. My hubby doesn't abuse me financially but allows his family members to abuse him financially.

I love him and have shared very special moments with him. It is a weird thought to imagine my life without him as I have known him for years. I also know that divorce also makes life miserable. There are weeks when we don't talk about his parents (I anyways never ask) and I find both of us happy. Then suddenly, the talk of his parents and their unfulfilled expectations crop up and all hell breaks loose.

I am miserable because my husband doesn't know to draw the limit between marital and other relationships. He and his father are inseparable. I could have managed if it were his mother. I can't share my secrets with him as he will share it with his father.

So, the hope, that one day my hubby will realise that everyone is leading their own happy married life selfishly except us who are in such an unpleasant situation, makes me stick to the marriage. Would he not come to the conclusion one day that everyone has a kid, everyone has their own family unit except us who are odd ones out ?