In Praise of Meditative TV

(With meditative tv) I don’t have to overthink much while watching, but I do have to pay attention, as though I were concentrating on repeating a mantra or focusing my breath. There’s no real emotional investment to make, and little to no connection to whatever problems are going on in the real world. 

A problem I’ve run into over the last few years when it comes to television is I don’t always want to think that much when I turn my TV on. I’m an already anxious person living through incredibly stressful times; I don’t need much more weighing on my mind, but I also don’t want to watch whatever reality show people are talking about. I want to get ... See more

But there’s more that goes into meditative television. It’s not the same as what The New Yorker dubbed “Ambient TV”; in fact, I find myself highly engaged. It’s so strange and joyful. I’ve found myself trying to look at the world the way he does, just watching tiny things happen and not putting too much thought into it.

Meditative TV is having a big moment right now.  Compared with other television shows, watching these required little to no involvement on my part. I didn’t have to get caught up in anything. I didn’t have to process a ton of drama. I never felt a little worse or more upset than I did before I turned them on. In fact, I usually felt refreshed.