Who knew the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) would send me into a deep state of reminiscence and reflection? As I sat there watching Snoop Dogg emcee, Taylor Swift win Video of the Year and Madonna win Artist of the Year, it made me wonder when I stopped tuning in to VMAs, Grammys, Academy Awards, and Emmys.
Growing up, watching a flashy awards show was a big event in our house. These were the days of TV Guide and The Cable Guide. In my household, The Cable Guide was king because, well, we had cable. When the monthly publication arrived in the mail, my sister and I circled everything we wanted to watch. When there was an awards show on, such as the Academy Awards, our favorite sitcoms like Who’s the Boss or Family Ties would air reruns because the major channels knew everyone would be enjoying the awards show.
Meanwhile, my grandparents were attached to TV Guide. They saved every edition, and when we visited on Sundays, we spent hours looking through their many TV Guides before stacking them back into wobbly towers. We also wasted hours reading my grandmother’s National Enquirer magazines. My grandparents had three, maybe four, television channels and inevitably, NASCAR, football, or golf would be on for the duration of our visit — three broadcasts in which my sister and I had no interest.
At some point, I switched to streaming-only (no cable) for a while and got out of the routine of watching regular TV. Once I had cable again, I never reinitiated my attachment to awards shows. Tuning into the VMAs the other night felt nostalgic and made me sad I’d gotten out of the habit.
All of this pontificating led me to ponder the concept of “choice” in a broader sense. In today’s world, we have so many choices, it’s overwhelming. I think about how freeing and decisive it felt to circle five items in The Cable Guide and move on with my life. Versus today, where despite having thousands of choices on streaming channels, it’s hard to decide what to watch. Or how relaxing it was to read all those TV Guides and National Enquirers because there was nothing else to do. The choice was simple.
The same mental fatigue happens at restaurants. If I’m handed a five-page menu, my brain shuts down. When this happens, I go to the salad section because most places only offer a small selection of salads, so the choice becomes more manageable.
Meal planning at home can be even more exhausting. In a 2008 interview, a journalist asked Aretha Franklin about challenges she faces. He expected a serious or layered answer. Aretha said her biggest challenge was deciding what’s for dinner every night. Yes, Aretha! With the internet offering every recipe in the universe, selecting what’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner day after day after day is taxing on the mind and nervous system.
When I was young, we bought our dance shoes and other shoes at Tops for Shoes in Asheville. We’d walk in and assess the two types of ballet slippers and pick one, then we’d go to the kids section and tell the sales person we were looking for Keds or Reebok sneakers. She would bring three different choices. We picked one. Now, we have the entire world wide web at our fingertips. It’s overstimulating. This is why I still go to a physical shoe store to buy shoes.
Pick any category of retail, food, or entertainment and when compared to 20 years ago, the choices have multiplied innumerably. It’s a paradoxical predicament. We think more choice gives us more freedom and more freedom is a good thing, right? Wrong. According to research, too many choices overload our brain and nervous system, stall action, and leave us less happy in the long run. With too many options, there’s a higher likelihood we’ll second-guess our decision and wish we chose differently.
So, what can we do? Automating basic tasks like paying bills, meal planning, and grocery shopping can help tremendously. Streamlining one’s wardrobe can also be helpful. Barack Obama famously had a very boring wardrobe. He had a small selection of navy and gray tailored suits and rotated them. He said he wanted to use his mental energy to make more important decisions than what he was wearing each day.
It’s also suggested to make hard choices before noon, when the brain is rested and fresh. Don’t make heavy or important decisions late at night, when all systems are powering down from a full day. Be sure to eat healthy and exercise. Movement can shake out physical stress and tension so the brain is more alert to manage mental strain.
Narrowing down options to three or fewer is helpful. I like the adage, “If you can’t get out of it, get into it.” Once a final decision is made, there’s no reason to second guess oneself. Own it entirely. Finally, if you’re still feeling burdened with all the many choices in life, ask for help or advice. Depending on personalities and disposition, some people have an easier time making decisions than others. Don’t assume more choices means more happiness, because it’s quite the opposite.
(Susanna Shetley is a writer and editor who lives in Haywood County. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)