Comments on: Reschooling Tool #3: Be Good to Yourself in Little Ways

By: Melia

Melia — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:23:24 +0000

Margaret — glad my summary of the episode did it justice! And great question on the pretzels, because this is one of the only instances in which I prefer milk chocolate. On “letting myself” — I’m used to pushing myself, or forcing myself, to do things the hard way. I’m beginning to see that truly “going with the flow” — as martial artists do — is much more enjoyable, and productive. What else is life about, if not chomping on pizza and watching Friends with someone you love?

Alicia — I was allowed about an hour of TV per day, I think. And it’s funny (and by funny, I mean ridiculous), I’ve grown to think of TV, movies, magazines, and fiction as “brain candy.” If it’s not in newspaper or nonfiction form, my initial reaction is to think of it as fluff. Of course, this is not true. I could make you a long list of novels and movies that have helped me understand my own life better, and given me random knowledge about things like beekeeping. The Daily Show, as every fan knows, not only features the most incisive satire around, but it’s also one of the best ways to stay informed.

Best of all, as you said, these media ideally get me out of my own head, where I live most of the time. I’m often so distracted by thoughts that I can’t focus on a movie for two hours. Now that I’m watching more frequently, my concentration is improving. Maybe I’ll become a pioneer in the field of TV Meditation.

By: Alicia C.

Alicia C. — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:25:22 +0000

I read this post when you first published it but I guess I just wasn’t paying attention or something. I like to go back and read everyone’s comments every once in a while and I decided to do that this morning. That’s when I noticed the previous comment and it made me think: yes, what is up with this “I don’t let myself watch TV” business? I suspect you grew up in a house very much like mine where books were worshipped and TV was not. Personally, I’ve learned over the last year or so that I’m inside my head so often it’s actually healthy for me to turn on the TV when I first get home and start to relax. (If I got paid to mentally examine my life I’d be a billionaire–easy.) TV is a distraction that does not allow me to THINK. I must say that I am picky about what I watch. If I don’t find it funny, relatable, or educational I don’t watch and will find a TV series on DVD to put on instead. Music doesn’t keep me out of my head (almost every album or song I own is tied to one set of memories or another). Trying to do something creative doesn’t do that unless I’m completely possessed by the project and that is very rare right now in my life. So TV it is… and I get over the books vs. TV guilt from childhood by recognizing that I read on MUNI, on my lunch breaks, and on weekends.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:45:36 +0000

The paraphrased Friends episode made me chuckle out loud in the thankfully noisy cafe. Hilarious.
I join in with you in spirit with the chocolate-covered TJ pretzels. Question, though: milk or dark?
Examine your habit of “letting yourself” do things- who is letting you? Sometimes, bad and good are not so white and black; for example, TV can be useful, pizza can be relaxing, and also, being on task can be painful. Depends on context. Depends on needs. Just thought I’d pop that in there… yay for breaks!