I’m pretty sure most of the human population with access to the internet has experienced this quiet haven in the modern day storm. The simple pleasure of being curled up on the couch or in bed with the soft glow of a screen, and your favorite food nestled atop your tummy.
The brain feels itself get lost in whatever story is streaming. The effort of trying, doing or thinking melts away, if only for a moment. It may not be a cure for what ails, but it’s a welcome escape. And some days, an escape is all we can ask for.
I was born in 1984, so I remember the days of regular TV. A long ago, ancient time that asked you to wait an entire week to see the next episode of your favorite show. How ghastly! I still remember racing home to catch Rosie O’Donnell, Oprah, or my personal fave – Breaker High (YTV for life, Ryan Gosling before meme-hood). The whole family would gather around the ol’ boob tube to enjoy an episode of Home Improvement or Star Trek, The Next Generation. If you grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, you’ll know TGIF was a whole evening of slap happy, sitcom bliss, not just a commonly used catch phrase.
It’s easy to take for granted the overwhelming excess of shows available at our fingertips. Sometimes the options can be debilitating. I know you can’t deny the following; scrolling through the Netflix cue for a good 5 or 10 minutes and then, a phrase dripping with privilege creeps into the brain, “Ugh, there’s nothing to watch!”
After resisting the urge to punch myself in the face, I usually choose a show I’ve seen before, but know I will thoroughly enjoy. There are many days I want no surprises, just something uplifting, familiar and heartwarming. Sometimes I’ll flow on my mat as I listen to the familiar dialogue of Downton Abbey or Lord of the Rings. I’m a sucker for period works and fantasy movies. They are my nerdy, guilty pleasure.
There is a moment when I feel a subtle shift. When the mind goes from enjoying the show, to feeling saturated with too much numbness. It’s a quiet change, but one I’ve become better at catching as I work on mindfulness. When I feel the numbing coming on, I do my best to turn off the TV and start heading to bed. Pick up a book, a cup of tea, my meditation app. ASMR noises are also a fun little trick to get the ol’ noggin’ in a happy place.
Some days I’m more successful at detecting the shift than others. I never regret it when I do. I adore the pages of a good book, or the ebb and flow of deep breathing coax me off to sleep. This doesn’t mean there aren’t nights I stay up a bit too late watching Graham Norton on YouTube, but I’m doing what I can to keep the electronics out of reach at night. When the soft glow of the phone is ironically strong enough to scare sleep away.
Even so, a night in can be the tide that turns a bad day into an amazing night, and better morning. Decompression with a machine that asks nothing from you (well, except “Are you still watching”)
Grateful for Netflix. Grateful for the little things.
