I Think We’re Going to Make It…

family, humor, lessons learned, politics, reading, United States 1 Minute

My wife and I pledged to each other that we would not check our phones, laptops, or the TV for any news today. A full 24-hour news detox.

There’s only a couple of hours left in the day, so it looks like we are going to make it.

Of course, it was near impossible to not catch glimpses of news events when scrolling through your email account, checking stock quotes, or simply seeing notifications pop up on your cell phone.

But overall, I’d say we achieved our goal, and personally, it felt good to do so.

Like many people, we were spending way too much time reading about the latest updates on covid-19, and I think it was starting to make us even more anxious than we should be.

I’d like to say that we put the extra time we gained to good use, but at least for me, that was not the case. The day, just like yesterday and the day before, just seemed to slip away.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that I simply used the extra time to check my stats more frequently…

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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37 thoughts on “I Think We’re Going to Make It…”

  1. Good for you guys in taking a break! It is a needed thing, for yes, it can just get to be too much! That’s why I decided to “visit” the North Pole instead. LOL!

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  2. It’s good to unplug sometimes. Tonight, I just learned that the governor has ordered a stay-at-home order for the entire state. This means that you’re only supposed to leave the house for necessities (i.e. food) Maybe if someone hassles me tomorrow I can say I’m following Borden’s 24-hour news detox, and I wasn’t aware of any stay at home order.😎

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    1. I think we should just have the same policies in every state. And as far as invoking my blog is concerned, they might add on an extra punishment of having to read all five year’s worth of my blogs… 🙂

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  3. A bit of news break would be good for your sanity. I do try to keep up with instructions that is expected of us under this lockdown we are in, but aside from that, I am blissfully unaware of other things in the news, much more so that involves Covid. Ignorance is bliss, indeed.

    How about use this time to binge on some shows, either old or new, instead of fussing over your stats. hahaha.. 😀

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    1. I agree, we just need basic info about the virus, not be overwhelmed by it. I’m trying to find other things to do, and just started watching an eight-part TV series on country music. So far, so good!

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  6. ha! once a stats guy, always a stats guy….). like you, each day seems to pass by and if i was to try to explain how i filled my time, i would just say it somehow was a full day. in about 10 days, we begin teaching online, and not even sure how that will look, but with the young children we teach, it’s mostly about offering the parents some routines, ideas, and games/strategies to continue learning, but mostly about staying connected. i’m sure each family will figure out what works for them. i take time each day to tune out the news and go for a walk outside, just to clear the cobwebs out and have been happily distracted by all of the good i read about and see in the community. onward! )

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    1. well hopefully the weather is getting a bit warmer so the walks aren’t too bad. I wonder how online teaching will work with kindergarten kids. I assume the parents will be right there with them, so it sounds like it would be a very different dynamic

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  7. I think I may need a detox, but as you said it seems near impossible to avoid the news. Like many, I try to catch my local broadcast news at 6 pm in order to check what the latest recommendations and requirements are, but I stay and watch the national news also and then feel it is too much information. As for your stats, I think you may need an intervention! 😁 Stay safe!

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    1. We do the same thing, and before you know it, you’ve watched an hour of news, most of it devoted to the virus. it is information overload. And I need an intervention, or a hobby!

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  9. The recent state of the world (and lots of added/hurried work) once again rendered me absent from all of my blog reading (and writing.) Glad to read that it you are back safely (I think?) and that you did your mind some good by taking a 24 hour break. I may follow your lead. Be well!

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  10. What is crazy is that, all over the world, small towns and big cities and everything in between, we are all going through the same thing, mentally, obsessively handwashing, even when we’re just at home and haven’t been in touch with anyone.
    We’re all connected, for better or worse, through our devices and screens and all this virtual connection is increasing our anxiety ….

    We can comfort each other virtually too, but over-news consumption, I think, is hurting us all.

    “stay safe” is really just a prayer now, but one that I greatly prefer over the constant mandate to “#washyourhands” and the lecturing and judging and piling on when young people do or say something stupid (like go to crowded places for spring break) and it is put online (all people do and say stupid things at one point or another) but calling them stupid idiots or even murderers–at this point–isn’t helping.

    We are all acting as if the virus lurks on every one of us, already, when it doesn’t. It is coming. We’re all afraid and uncertain and maybe it is in our house or in our car or on the money in our purses, or on our library books that they now want us to keep indefinitely with no fines….

    but we human animals only have so much control (very little, in fact) over this and, God Forbid, there is just a short time left for any one of us, it is better to spend it with just the right amount of information. I have vowed to wait for the 7pm PBS News Hour to get my news.

    And yesterday I got busy watching Mo Willems Doodle video put up on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzjCPQv3y8 to see if maybe my son would enjoy it in “homeschool” tomorrow… and I FORGOT to watch the news. Yay me. It would only have scared me more.

    Mo was more relaxing. And he is right: WHATEVER you do: Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!

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    1. it does show how we are all connected, and we have many of the same fears. I like your idea of the 7:00 news; I’ve never really watched it. And I watched the Mo Willems video. It was very calming. I had never heard of him, but my wife, a pre-school teacher, knew all about him and mentioned that we have a couple of his books in our house!

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  11. Good for you to take a news break! I seriously need to do this. Not only am I checking on news here, I’m checking in the area our kids live too! Despite all this extra silliness I am adding to my life, I am still able to check my stats and google analytics!!!

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    1. there only seemed to be two or three news outlets in Singapore – one daily newspaper, one tv station, and the government. They were all in sync with each other and provided fairly transparent data about the status of the virus.

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  13. I have unplugged many times. I actually never watched the news everyday until the recent chain of events. With covid19, I take the approach of being concerned not consumed because it will drive you crazy ..

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      1. I watch it as well, it’s important. However, most people watch news everyday so when something such as this pandemic occur they don’t want to watch the same new they are use to a variety, however for me this is the time to watch daily for your own safety and knowledge.

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  14. Nah, as tempting as it is to keep reading about the virus, I spend my free time watching romantic-comedy and funny cartoons. Writing and blogging while staying away from any post with COVID in it. I rarely give my phone attention haha 😀

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