7 Ways to Deal When Cable and Internet go out

no-cable-tv (Photo credit: hjl)

As many of you know — I’m getting ready for a big move to a brand new apartment.  With that comes a lot of coordinating and planning.  Our cable company made one very big mistake about our move and shut off our service in our current apartment a month too early!  So yes, we were left without TV, Internet, and phone service for two days.  Who cares, you may think.  And I would have said the same — until it happened to me.

When you’re on vacation, you are ready to unplug, you need it and you want it.  But in the middle of a work week when you are unexpectedly thrown off of your routine and contact with the outside world is ripped from your grip — you get angry fast!  So as I was pulling my hair out with frustration, as our nice field tech Rich tried to get our service turned back on, I wrote out a list.

This is a list of things to do when your cable and Internet go out without warning — like when your cable company screws up or something more dramatic happens like a blackout.

1.  Go to the movies. It occurred to me that we had been binge watching Netflix for so long (House of Cards is amazing!) that we hadn’t actually been to a theater in months.  It was great to get out and see something new.

2.  Read a book.  I’ve had several books sitting on my nightstand for “when I get a few minutes,” which never seems to happen.  Without the distractions of TV and Internet, that time came and I was finally able to start Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book, “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook.”

3.  Get up and move.  Instead of staring at the dark TV set get out and do something.  Do some yoga, go for a run or even just go for a walk.  Getting out of your element and getting your heart pumping will put you in a better place.

4.  Experiment making a new dish.  This is something my mother and I always like to do when we’re “bored.” Try out a recipe that you’ve been meaning to make.  Get creative and you’ll be surprised how quickly your mood changes.

5.  Declutter.  I get it, no one ever wants to do this.  But if you don’t have the things that usually pull your attention away from this important task, why not use it to your advantage? Book shelves, junk drawers and closets are a good place to start.

6.  Treat yourself.  It’s always a good time for pampering but especially when you’re looking to kill some time.  Go get a facial, massage or a mani/pedi.  If you don’t want to spend the cash – do it yourself.  Taking time to take care of yourself may start a new trend long after your cable comes back on.

7.  Make a gratitude list.  I always like to do this when I’m not feeling great because it helps to lift my mood.  When I think nothing is going my way, I get out my paper and pencil and jot down all the things I’m grateful to have in my life.  I think of the big and the small.  So things like dark chocolate are perfectly fine on this list!

These are all things that you may have been doing anyway or have had on your to-do list for some time.  But when you are forced to deal with a hiccup it’s great to be prepared to spring into action so you’re not left to stew about things you can’t fix.  Also make sure you know stake out a lovely cafe, library or friend’s house where you can escape if you need your WiFi fix. Our cable did get put back on and everything is fine and in the end I did get to a few things that I wasn’t planning on doing.  So overall it wasn’t such a bad experience.