It was my first challenge, and I thought it was going to be easy.
I didnt really watch that much anyway. Well thats what I thought.
After the first 24 hours, I realised how much I relied on television as background noise, passive entertainment, a way to fill time as I was feeding Liam, or eating breakfast etc. I got myself thinking, how much time do I actually waste in front of the TV?
After another few days, I had realised that I was able to get ready for work quicker, I paid more attention to Liam as I fed him, Paul and I spoke more in the evenings, and I actually went to bed earlier and fell asleep quicker as I wasn’t thinking about the storyline of the show I had just watched.
It got me thinking how passive I must live my life when I get sucked into shows like Home and Away and Neighbours, and actually have cravings of needing to know what might happen the next night. I was genuinely craving a soapie fix. I also heard both Paul and I say on more than one occasion: next ads. But why?
I guess I have always liked stories, ever since mum read me books as a little girl, and ever since I became obsessed with the human race. Stories are a way humans communicate to each other. It is a way we learn, a chance to interact with each other, and at times, gives us a common ground between strangers.
As I overanalysed myself through the week without tv, I managed to come to some conclusions. I really liked hearing real stories from real people, rather than madeup soapie lines with weekly cliffhangers. I really enjoy having the tv on in the background each morning, as I get updated on the news, weather forecasts and it keeps reminding me of the time. I also realised I do waste a lot of time watching television, when I had led myself to believe I didnt actually watch that much.
So a few outcomes from this challenge: I go to bed when Paul goes to bed, I don’t need to watch the show that is coming on next (Paul says if he starts a show he has to see it through) as sleep is more important. Life is not going to be over if I miss the next episode of Home and Away. My son actually makes cute faces when Im feeding him, it is way more interesting to watch then the adverts on tv.
Rebecca Grugan 