Yesterday was the first day of my TV-free week, and it was harder than I expected – but harder in different areas.

When I woke up in the morning, it was definitely different not switching on the TV right away. Instead, I went online and checked my e-mail. I even showed up to work a few minutes early, and I was thinking this wouldn’t be so bad at all. But all day I was only able to think about the things I felt like watching but wouldn’t be able to watch for a week. It was like a mild form of torture.

And then when I got home, it really hit me. Before I started my forced TV exile, I thought that the hardest parts would be the long expanses of time – the nights after work and the weekend were very foreboding. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. I used that time to read, catch up with family on the phone, and meet with some people from church. It was the little times in between that really killed me. The hardest part of the entire day was dinnertime. I live alone, so it isn’t like I have anyone to talk to while I eat, and it’s very hard to read and eat at the same time. So I just ate in silence. It was harder than I would have expected. I don’t know what people did during dinner before TV.

Overall, yesterday gave me hope that I can make it through the week, but those little times are going to be tough.