A week with no TV

This week I decided I wasn't going to watch any TV except 1 hour on Thursday for Grey's Anatomy. The past several weeks I have been watching HOURS of TV every day. What?? I usually don't do that- but thanks to Netflix and Hulu and regular scheduled programming....I've been exceeding my two hours of recommended screen time- by a lot. The biggest problem is when I get hooked on a series on Netflix and proceed to binge watch for hours and hours (thanks The Good Wife) plus all the regular shows I like to watch have current episodes filling up my Hulu Que. It's a first world problem FOR SURE. but a problem nonetheless

Monday
Pretty easy to avoid TV today because we were out and about as a family. Bart had the day off so he met me at work and we spent the afternoon in SLC. Later that evening I went to dinner with my dad and sisters. Not being home makes it really easy to not watch any TV! When I got home from dinner I had Bart turn off the TV and we sat and talked for an hour. Ca-razy I know. It was actually pretty fabulous. Bart is chatty when given the chance. I did think about the TV a LOT today. I had to consciously avoid turning it on and all of the story plots were fresh on my mind. Straight up addict people!

Tuesday
Much harder than Monday! It was a typical day for me so I was home around 12:30 with no errands to run or anything to really do outside the house. Mckenzie and I played a lot in her room and she seemed to enjoy it better with no TV on in the background. She did really well with some independent play and I watched her from the door way because....no TV. I even took a nap while she was napping. Normally I would have loved to read-but I don't have a book on standby at the moment. If I'm going to make it through the week that will have to be corrected soon.

After her nap we were kind of bored though so I turned on Pandora and she loved it! She just laid there playing with her feet and listening to the music. It was a lot of fun. She hasn't really shown interest in music in the past, but she sure liked it today! I did a few chores and we went running when Bart went home because the TV wasn't on to distract us into relaxation. Before bedtime we all hung out on the floor playing and being obsessed with our baby. I really liked that. The hard part now is when Mckenzie is sleeping and Bart and I are on our own. Bart uses the TV to relax so I feel bad asking him to turn it off because of me.

Wednesday
Not as hard as Tuesday. I got home a little later in the afternoon and Mckenzie went right down for a nap so I ended up where? In my bed...I'm sensing a trend. But a 45 minute cat nap is better than watching an hour of TV in my mind, especially when I don't have tons to do anyway. When Bart got home I went to the gym and grocery shopping so avoiding TV wasn't too hard. I have found myself using my phone more often and getting on social media more. It's so hard to find a balance with everything!! But this week I'm focusing on TV so I'm not going to stress too much about my phone use (that's an area for another day!).

 

It's so interesting how my mind goes a little cray cray when I spend too much time binge watching a show. I start thinking about the characters like they really exist and I wonder what's going to happen next. Once I start dreaming about those characters, I know it's time to take a break!

Thursday
I knew I was going to get the chance to watch an hour of TV  (Grey's Anatomy) so it wasn't too bad of a day. Mckenzie and I are still trying to figure out things to do. It's not that we ever just sat and watched TV in the past, but just having it on in the background gives life a different feeling. We have been using music much more, and the beautiful weather makes it nice to go outside. I can tell it's getting easier and easier. My day also doesn't feel like it's going by as fast. I'm not filling random hours with pointless TV and I seem to have more time for things- WEIRD!

But once I did get to sit down and watch my hour of TV I was pretty possessive of that hour. I didn't want to talk to Bart at all. I just wanted to lay down and watch my show and completely check out. It wasn't even a good episode and it almost wasn't worth "wasting" an hour on! Plus it was really hard for me to turn the TV off and not watch Scandal that was up next. Honestly I probably could have just gone the rest of the day without watching anything.

The hardest part of every day has been the evening when Bart wants to watch TV. I go upstairs and we just don't really hang out. It's not like watching TV is really hanging out in my book, but at least we would be in the same room! We have talked a lot more this week and he has been a pretty good sport about it- but he still watches TV and I have to leave the room.

Friday
It was a piece of cake to not watch anything today because it was a pretty busy day and I left to go hang out with my cousins for a quick overnight trip. Nothing really to report because I never had the chance to sit on the couch even if I wanted to! I am pretty proud that I've made it 5 full days!

Saturday
Another easy day to avoid TV because we didn't really get home from our Saturday activities until around 7pm. Bart sat down to relax and I did some chores and folded laundry. I will say this no TV thing means I am more on top of my laundry than I ever have been in the past. What I like about this week is that TV is no longer my "go to" time filler. Just because I COULD watch TV, doesn't mean that's what I choose to do. I'm also not really craving any of the story lines and plots like I was earlier in the week. I'm totally on the downhill of detoxing! Technically my week is up on Monday so I just have to get through tomorrow! I know Sunday is going to be rough...so stand by!

Sunday

Instead of TV my day was filled with LOTS of sleeping. We did watch a movie as a way to compromise between Bart's desires and my experiment. Last Sunday I went to bed ashamed at how much TV I watched that day, that's why this whole thing started. Tonight I went to bed without that feeling.

All in all, I'm really glad I tried this out.. It made me realize I don't HAVE to watch TV, there are other things to do and other ways I can fill my days. I exercised every day and stayed on top of my chores. The week went by pretty quickly and after those first few days, I didn't even really think of TV. Even as I'm writing this on Monday- TV isn't my go-to as soon as I get home. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of person (anther post for another day) and it was a good experiment for me to do. I'm not really in the mood to watch any of my shows. After a week off, I'm kind over it! Hopefully as I add a little TV into my day I won't let it go overboard and I will be able to find that realistic balance!