This post is a collaboration with TV Licensing (a trademark of the BBC), but all thoughts and experiences are my own.
Ok, let’s talk about one of my favourite topics; ways to unwind, must-watch TV shows, crime documentaries and cookery shows.
Since becoming a mum-of-two, working from home, keeping on top of the household chores and remembering to eat-breathe-and repeat, life is a little bit of a juggling act that I know so many of us feel. The work-life balance is HARD my friends!
We all know we need that mystical ‘me time’ but if you have a chaotic schedule, if you are a parent, a full-time worker or any of those combined; there is seemingly so little time to step back and switch off. What I would give to be able to go out every week for half-a-morning to do a solo hike up Cheddar Gorge, a coffee-fuelled breakfast catch-up with friends or a relaxing spa day – realistically I cannot do ANY of these activities in the time that I have left. However, what I CAN do with relative ease is watch some of my favourite shows or films on TV at home.
It sounds basic, right? But honestly, putting time aside, immersing yourself into a brilliant TV show and using this as a tool to forget the realities of day-today life is a perfect and easy form of self-care!
TV to unwind and disconnect.
Having time for myself allows me to recharge my batteries and clear my cluttered mind. Stepping away from the scrolling, the laptop, the list of never-ending jobs and household chores is a great form of self-care and it’s something that is so easy to do. If you are constantly running on empty, you won’t be able to fully immerse yourself in anything to the best of your ability.
When I’m alone, I love to watch crime documentaries and thrillers. My husband isn’t so mad on them, so I tend to keep them for myself, and I usually squeeze this in with another form of important self-care – my weekly beauty and pampering evening. I put on a hair mask, sometimes paint my nails and use my LED mask to help boost my skin – 100% would recommend! TV, crime + beauty = a truly heavenly combination.
Some of my favourite crime documentaries I have watched recently include Forensics: The Real CSI (BBC iPlayer), The Detectives: Taking Down an OCG (BBC iPlayer), and of course 24 Hours in Police Custody (Ch4) is brilliant. I would love any of your recommendations also.
Watching ‘live TV’ vs catch-up.
I think we are so used to catch-up television these days as, let’s be honest, it can be easier to have TV shows fit into our busy schedules as opposed to the other way around. It’s convenient, quick and easy…but there are definitely times when I really like to watch TV programmes live – as they go out, and with everyone else. If you’ve ever watched The Traitors on catch-up as opposed to watching it live, you will know the pain of trying to avoid spoilers all day until you can watch it later that evening. It’s painful.
Do you remember the ‘Line of Duty’ era? If you didn’t watch that live it was almost painful the next day. Aside from spoilers, when there is a hugely talked about TV show it’s also quite fun chatting through it with your friends, whether it be an ‘OMG!’ over WhatsApp messenger or over your lunch break the next day at work.
Watching live TV also gives you a stricter dedication to your downtime as our to-do lists are never-ending. It’s very easy to put things off and off, but if we switch off at a specific time to watch a TV programme you are allowing your ‘me time’ to actually happen.
Friday night movie nights!
I absolutely LOVE a movie night, and it tends to be either on a Friday or Saturday night – there’s usually some good movies on at around 9pm just as the children are in bed. Me and my partner take this chance to disconnect from the chaos, get some snacks in a bowl and spend a bit of time together laughing, plot-dissecting and connecting, even if it is via a good movie.
Sometimes we’re both so exhausted that we don’t want to talk too much and it’s something we both really enjoy. Phones are put to the side and it’s a no-scrolling zone, which is honestly the only time of the week it is! If you don’t already, I highly recommend a once-a-week movie night – you’ll be surprised at how many great movies are on.
Sunday mornings – family time shows.
I always, ALWAYS watch Sunday Brunch live on a Sunday morning which is usually when we are trying (!) to spend time together as a family. I’m often cooking a big breakfast, the children are playing in the living room or garden and yep, it’s a bit chaotic, often noisy but it’s a routine we love and do weekly. Sunday Brunch is a proper family-friendly, easy-watching TV fodder.
I also often get cooking inspiration/recipe ideas from Sunday Brunch and other cookery shows, so it makes meal-planning for the impending week a little easier too. A few of my favourite cookery shows include Rick Stein, Nadine’s Fast Flavours (I’ve found so many great recipes from this!) and Saturday Kitchen, which is another great one to watch.
About TV Licensing and the FAQ’s!
Where does the money go?
The TV Licence fee is not retained revenue. It’s passed on to fund BBC projects across the Arts, Media and Culture, providing invaluable support to many creative projects within the UK including BBC shows & News, BBC sounds, 10 BBC radio stations all without ads.
Your TV Licence lets you enjoy a huge range of live TV. It covers you for: • All TV channels, like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Dave and international channels – but you don’t need a licence if you only watch non-BBC channels on demand • Pay TV services, like Sky, Virgin Media, and BT – but these are platforms that could have both live and on-demand services • Live TV on streaming services, like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video • Everything on BBC iPlayer.
This includes recording and downloading. On any device.
So, I hope this has inspired you to indulge in one of the easiest forms of self-care – put your feet up and watch some of your favourite TV programmes – even if it is for small pockets of time. Also, please let me know any great shows that I may have missed out on and need to watch!
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