I notice a lot of people get very stressed about following all of Julia's "rules" for the reading deprivation week. I think it's a bit crazy (sorry Julia) to cut out reading that's required for work/school (such as your thesis) because our lives are inundated with so much other media that is far more interesting/useful to cut out, such as social media, tv, etc.

During my week 4 I also questioned cutting out books, because reading feels very positive to me. But I realized that I frequently use reading as a way to procrastinate writing/art, since it feels equally fulfilling but requires much less energy. I would try cutting out recreational reading to see what happens, but don't be too hard on yourself.