Tuesday Truth: 5 Good Reasons to Turn Off the TV

A painting I did in college, entitled "Boob Tube."  Te he!

Ben and I got rid of our cable TV package in January. We upgraded/downgraded (depending on how you want to look at it) to AppleTV, and haven’t looked back since.

At first, I was worried about it—AppleTV would make us have to work for our TV, we’d have to stream from our computers, couldn’t watch anything live or rely on DVR, and couldn’t come home, plop down on the couch, and just turn it on and watch mindlessly. Could we adjust?

Yes, we could, and adjust we did. In fact, giving up cable, DVR, and all of our other special channels was the best thing we’ve ever done; I never watch TV anymore. Like, ever. Sure, we’ll watch Mad Men or a movie on Netflix every once in a while on the weekends, but TV is no longer a part of my normal life, and it’s amazing.

Now, let me be clear: I've never been a huge TV watcher, but I’ve always had a slight addiction to trashy reality TV shows, singing competitions, and HBO shows (I still watch the HBO shows, they just aren’t in season right now). However, what I’ve found is that by making it more difficult to watch the trashy shows, I just don’t do it. I write, read, go on a walk, or take a bath in the time that I used to spend in front of the TV, and it’s been extremely eye-opening.

Am I suggesting that you get rid of your TV or cable package? No, I’m not. But I kind of am. If you’re a big TV watcher, maybe take baby steps, and instead of getting rid of cable or DVR, have a TV-free night or two. As you get used to it, maybe start limiting the number of shows you can watch, or the number of days per week that you can have the TV on, and just notice how your life changes.

With that being said, here are 5 Good Reasons to Turn Off the TV:

1.     You will rediscover your evenings. When you don’t come home and turn on the TV, you can't possibly get sucked in. I don’t know about you, but when I watch TV, I quickly become a zombie. I can’t tear myself away, I want to see what happens to The Bachelorette (!!!), and before I know it, it’s bedtime. If I never turn on the TV, I can get lots done in the evenings and still have time to take a bath or read for 30 minutes before bed. Ahhhhh.

2.     You will sleep better. Have you heard about all of the studies about blue light (light emitted from electronics, including the TV and computer) and how it can mess up your sleep  patterns/ability to fall asleep at night? Enough said. The less TV you watch in the evenings, the more quality sleep you can get. To this girl, sleep = the elixir of life, so it's a no-brainer.  

3.     You will begin to be more mindful about your mindless consumption. When you don’t spend time in front of the TV, watching TV becomes a treat. Personally, I've begun to realize how much more present I am in my own life when I'm not turning on the TV and watching mindlessly. Sure, there are definitely some nights when I'm exhausted and wish I could just turn on the TV and watch a stupid show that I've DVR-ed and zone out, but since it takes some work to set this up, this extra moment to contemplate whether or not I really want to watch TV is just enough to dissuade me; I usually tune into my body and take a bath or get in bed early, instead, which is much healthier in the long-run.

4.     You will have time to catch up with loved ones. If you’re not watching TV on the weekends or in the evenings, you have time to hang out with your sweetie, call your parents, or Facetime with your BFFs. You can respond to emails, go on walks with your sig other, or just sit at the dinner table and chat. Connection with those you care about is greater than watching The Voice, I promise (even though I love that show and love Blake Shelton even more!). 

5.     You will live longer. No joke. Here's proof from my time management guru, Laura Vanderkam’s, website: “According to a study published in 2012 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, each hour spent watching television (after age 25) is associated with a 22 minute decrease in life expectancy.” As Vanderkam explains, you can think of it this way--only watch those shows that you would be willing to give up 22 minutes of your life to watch. For me, that's Mad Men and Girls (and maybe The New Girl), but not much else. The Bachelor/Bachelorette is definitely not worth 44 minutes of my life [2 hour show]. Yikes!

The only downside that I see to turning off the TV? You won’t be able to chat about what’s happening on popular shows with co-workers and friends. But hey, then you’ll have to find something to talk about besides TV shows, and wouldn’t that be interesting? 

So, to summarize, TV = a time + energy suck that doesn't give much back + decreases your life expectancy + lowers your quality sleep time. 

Will you join me in turning off the TV more often?

PS. On Sunday, while on a walk, Ben and I saw a woman take a major spill—I mean, major. She tripped over a crack and fell face down on the concrete (I feel like I saw it in slo-mo), and didn't catch herself. 

Do you know why her hands didn't brace her fall? Because she had her phone in her hand [and a cigarette in the other, which is an entirely different blog post] so she couldn’t catch herself. She literally decided to save her phone over her body, and thus, smashed to the pavement face first. As soon as she landed, she immediately lifted her head to look at the face of her iPhone, to see if it had cracked. After seeing that it hadn't, she handed her phone to her friend and peeled herself off of the ground, seemingly in a lot of pain. 

Although her phone was saved and she didn't look like she was headed straight to the hospital, witnessing this horrible fall really got me thinking about our devotion to technology. Save the phone/TV/computer, or save yourself/your body? It's worth pondering...