JOIN THE 30-DAY TV DETOX CHALLENGE STARTING JULY 1ST – SURRENDER TV FOR 30 DAYS!
It’s time once again for the 30-Day TV DETOX Challenge. Are you ready? I learned a lot last year in my quest to be more present in my life by turning the TV off for 30 days and I am embarking on this journey again this year and hoping you will consider joining me! (See my original post below which details why I embarked on this journey last year).
Just like last year, I have tried to ease the pain by waiting until most of my favorite shows are in reruns, Oprah is over, both the American Idol and Dancing with the Stars champions have been crowned and the Phillies sit comfortably atop first place. The timing is perfect. Heck, you will probably even have some vacation time and a holiday weekend during the month of July during which you wouldn’t normally watch TV anyway, right?
If you are interested in joining this challenge, write a comment below or send me a note on Facebook so I can add you to the group. Interested but not brave enough to join for a full 30 days? Feel free to join us for one of the weeks or even just a day or two each week, whatever feels doable for you. We welcome all participants. My intention is to create a facebook group solely for us brave TV-less warriors to share all of our thoughts and feelings throughout the process and of course to share things we are doing instead of watching TV!
Take these next two weeks and watch all your favorite shows – the TV screen goes blank on Friday, July 1st!
Below is my original post from last July which details why you might want to consider embarking on a 30-DAY TV DETOX journey. I hope it motiviates you to join us!
THE TV CHALLENGE – SURRENDER TV FOR 30 DAYS!
As most of you know, as a “student” of the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and Pema Chodron, I am on a personal quest to build my level of presence in my life. I have closed a lot of the obvious “run” spots which for me included excess food, alcohol, and caffeine (which keeps me unconscious by keeping me “doing” instead of being present). This month I am getting the “nudge” to let go of my TV watching for 30 days.
Now, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with watching a little TV for enjoyment. I really am not even a big TV watcher. I tape a few shows I like and watch about an hour or so in the evening after my daughter goes to bed. Now that baseball season is in full swing, I do tape and watch the Phillies pretty faithfully.
I actually stopped watching all news programs about 5 years ago. The only news show I watch is Daily News Live the local sports news at 5Pm on ComcastSportsnet. Believe it or not, this is my favorite show on TV and for me will be the most difficult to let go. It gives me the news of the day in sports and has great commentators. I am sure we all have our personal favorite shows that are hard to “give up” – Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, anything on HBO!
So why let go of TV watching for a period of time? As a fellow pioneer on this quest for more consciousness in my life, I want to see what comes up for me when I close the TV as an escape from myself and my reality. I have watched lots of Oprah shows on families giving up all of the “escapes” ie electronics, dinners in front of the TV, etc. and have witnessed the bonding and levels of intimacy that open up for them.
One of the inspirations for me doing this is to increase the level of intimacy in my life with myself, my daughter and the world. Recently, I noticed that my daughter was downstairs watching her shows and I was upstairs watching mine. It reminded me of times in my marriage (I am now divorced), where my husband and I would do that same thing. I often joked that he and I would land on the exact opposite channels – our tastes in TV were that different. I want to open up intimacy with my daughter and spend more time with her. I am going to shut off the TV and see what happens.
In Julia Cameron’s best selling book The Artist’s Way, she has you go on a 7 day reading detox. “It is a paradox that by emptying our lives of distractions we are actually filling the
well. Without distraction, we are once again thrust into the sensory world…Reading deprivation casts us into our inner silence. We often cannot hear our own inner voice, the voice of our artist’s inspiration, above the static.” This is what I am looking for – a deeper connection to my inner creativity, life, artist.
Would you like to join me on this 30 day TV detox? Do you think this “presence” thing has just gone too far and I am crazy? Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts! I welcome all opinions!
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Comments
I clearly recognize that I am a tv-a-holic, so of course I SHOULD do this – but I am fighting it tooth and nail. True, Oprah and Dancing with the Stars are over, but what about The Bachelorette and the Casey Anthony Trial? And like you, I am a big Phillies fan and really enjoy watching the games on TV. I think a good compromise for me would be to select out a one-week period in July OR pick out 2 days/week through the month of July to be have it OFF. My son, who is 26 allows himself only Sundays and one week-day to watch a couple of hrs. of TV. He has been doing this for quite a while with good results. OK, count me in.
Oh, MAN, Eileen!!! I really want to do this, but I guess I\’m not ready for the full 30. I like that you offer a 1-week detox starter for the meeker individuals like myself.
I look forward to your progress reports. Maybe I\’ll call you during the month, to distract you from yourself . I so admire you doing this. You are my profile in courage.
Hi Laurie – Glad to have you aboard! It is scary to embark on this type of journey. Good for you for being willing to give it a try! A few days a throughout the month or a full week mid-month is great. Just like life I found their were gifts and grievences – look for my post next week which details my first week last year without TV and you’ll see what I mean.
HI Trish – I know you and you are not meek! Glad you are considering joining us for a bit. It is a big deal and I am always surprised when I embark on these type of journeys what the universe reveals to me. As far as courage – remember its just fear that has said its prayers!
Hey Eileen- I’m happy to join you on this. I already have almost 14 months without TV though. Don’t miss it a bit and I get a lot more bicycle rides in. ~ Jeremy
First I want to say that was a great anti-TV blogpost! Very reality-based!
Next, I want to share a related bumper sticker I once saw which I found humorously helpful in kicking the TV habit. It said, “Everything’s fine – just keep watching TV.”
Finally, having just completed my 424th day TV-free (who’s counting? I had to calculate what one year, one month and 28 days adds up to…), I would like to say that the greatest benefits (in my opinion) of TV abstinence are the feeling of being free, the feeling of being more in charge of myself, and the feeling of being more discerning and selective about my sensory, cognitive, and emotional “diet”. My nutritional diet has improved (in another ‘campaign’ of mine – against high blood/sugar), and now so has my mental, emotional and spiritual diet. I’m learning that recovery can be framed as a conscious set of choices around, not JUST diet, but also exercise. Not only what I am taking in but also what I am doing with it. How am I exercising my body, mind, and spirit now that I am more free of nutritional, mental, and spiritual poisons and more involved in the healthier forms of dietary practice?
And let me just add that a couple of times during this abstinence period I have tried to watch TV just to see what sort of reaction I would have to it. It was fascinating to me. As I sat there, I slowly felt more and more repulsed by the experience until, after about 5 minutes, I had to walk away from it (and go for a bike ride). It held NO appeal for me and yet there was a strange though mild sense of feeling deprived and slightly inhuman (as in different from all other people – TV watchers)… but I was able to quickly let go of my sense of uniqueness and concentrate on the bike ride, so… that’s enough. Thanks Eileen for creating this venue for mental health!
~Jeremy
Thanks so much for the insight. Funny you mentioned about diet because I am actually going to do a 21 day cleanse during this time too! I believe what you say about it being difficult to go back to TV although I dont know if I could not return to watch the Phillies – I just love ‘em. Who knows? I have learned to never say “never”. Thanks again for sharing your insight and inspiration. Always a pleasure to have your wisdom!
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