10. Channel surfing versus targeted viewing
TV or video is a great gift and brings a lot of education, pleasure and entertainment. There can often be a difference in how we watch and what we tell ourselves. See how these different styles of TV viewing affect you and leave you feeling afterwards.
Try this exercise:
1. Put aside some time to watch TV for an evening, without any particular plan, just watch whatever takes your fancy (soaps, serials, news, films etc.), channel hop and surf all you want, see where you end up! Tell yourself ‘I deserve this, I worked hard and I am going to treat myself.’ See how you feel afterwards, does it help you, are you more animated, happier?
2. Decide in advance that you are going to watch a particular programme, try to find something that you really want, that will interest you, that will uplift you in some way (e.g. the natural world, a documentary, promoting a cause you are interested in). Tell yourself ‘I am so lucky to be able to watch this, I appreciate every moment of it’. Turn off the TV at the end of the programme, take some time to reflect. How do you feel afterwards, does it help you, are you more animated, happier?
Notice if there is a difference between the two styles of watching, what does this tell you, what does it imply for your TV watching?