My TV Diet

I have always been painfully aware that I watch too much TV.  I often catch myself sitting in front of the tube scrolling through multitudes of channels with no particular destination in mind.  I come out of my TV fugue, and realize I’ve been sitting there for a couple of hours.  The guilt that accompanies this gigantic waste of time settles in and I go to bed feeling like I ate an entire box of chocolates in one sitting.

I wanted to do something about it and decided to try going cold turkey for one week. So for seven days, I did not watch a single commercial, program, movie or news clip.  I knew this was going to be difficult because television has been a part of my life since I can remember.

As a child, I was a latchkey kid.  My mom was the sole provider and had to work.  So I grew up with the TV as my babysitter.  Back then, I had a total of three channels to watch: CBC, 2&7 and CTV.  It’s amazing now with hundreds of channels that are available, that I could spend hours watching just three.  But I did.  I watched so much TV that I could list all the names, and times of the shows that was on from 3:30 in the afternoon until 11 at night.  I remember that the Flintstones were on at 4 pm, and Bewitched was on at the same time.  (My sister and I used to fight over which program we would get to watch. My preference was Fred and Barney.)  I was a dedicated Young and Restless fan from an early age, and count it as one of my guilty pleasures today.  But my favorite show came on at 5:30 everyday.  Three’s Company.  I loved Jack, Janet and Chrissie. I can say with 100 percent certainty that I watched every single episode of all eight seasons. 

Television was my constant companion. It was there when I needed it, never talked back and always entertained me.

Years later, I found my habit almost unchanged.  As an adult, having a set in my home was akin to having a stove or fridge.  It was a necessity.

Recently however, I noticed that an evening of TV watching left me feeling lethargic and groggy.  I became angry with myself for allowing something to creep into my life and become such a time-waster.

So, on a quiet Wednesday night, I shut it off with mixed emotions.  How would I feel?  What would I do with all that extra time I was hoping I would gain from it?

The next morning, I almost forgot about my TV diet and reached for the remote to catch the news.  I didn’t realize how automatic and habit forming it had become.  My family and I prepared for school and work in an unsettling silence.  Later that night, as I prepared supper, made lunches and went about my other nightly duties, I felt lost. I was missing something.  It was almost as if I had my arm cut off and was having phantom limb sensations.  I realized it was the noise.  The sounds emanating from my electronic companion were absent.  The TV stood like a chalkboard in the corner of our living room, dark and silent. It was painful.  It was also lonely. 

Although I had made this vow, my family had not.  While they settled in front of the television, I banished myself to other rooms in the house.  I was determined not to succumb to the mind numbing effects of the moving pictures. 

So in the quite of my room, I settled in with a book I had been meaning to read for months.  It was gratifying to be able to spend that time doing something I have always loved and valued.  Suddenly, other possibilities opened up.  Things that I had been neglecting to do because of my addiction to TV.  My kids.  When was the last time I intentionally spent one-on-one time with them?  Other than driving them to school and their activities, our time was spent mostly in front of the TV.  I was ashamed.  So that week, they were delighted when I asked them to come out and shoot baskets, go for a walk or play a board game.  For the first time in ages, they had a mom who was engaged.

It felt amazing.  I was invigorated and determined to jam as much into this newly discovered time as possible. 

But it was at night, after my husband and kids went to bed when temptation reared it’s ugly head.  I am a night owl and have always enjoyed my time in front of the TV watching The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead, Madmen or Survivor to name just a few.  The house was to quiet.  Although I could read my book, it was sound that I craved.  I turned to my iPad and after some researching, found a podcast that interested me.  For the rest of the week, I fell into a routine of flopping onto the couch and listening to the latest news and tips about my other passion, photography.  I imagined myself in the days before TV sitting around the radio, while the fireplace crackled in the corner.

The days went by quicker than I thought.  The struggle I assumed I would have didn’t gather steam or become unbearable.  In fact, an unexpected peacefulness settled over me.

Since then, I have taken to turning the television off more often. Instead I listen to music, read a book, write or spend more meaningful time with my family.

My TV diet has opened up a world of possibilities.  I intend to explore them thoroughly.