Rewatching is Good for Your Mental Health
I’ve restarted this post five times now, trying to get the words right to begin, and it’s just not happening. Funnily enough, I think that’s because of the point I’m trying to make here.
I am emotionally exhausted this week.
I’m a teacher and we moved back to full days with kids who haven’t been in a school building for long periods of time in ten months. We’re doing it with constant requirement and schedule changes, murky directives, and haughty colleagues. It doesn’t help that it’s the January-February slump that a lot of teachers, and I think a lot of people, experience when it’s cold and dark. This morning, when I left for work, it was light out. That was a huge help. But I would guess a lot of us feel very run-down this time of year. Or, if that’s not you usually, maybe it is this year, and that is perfectly understandable.
Not only are these circumstances unprecedented, but they are deeply unnerving. Trying to go about our daily lives and responsibilities while also dealing with a global pandemic, and what seems to be an increasingly divided world, is a massive undertaking. Sometimes, rather than confront all the horrors of the world, we feel like we want to bury our heads in the sand. At least, I do.
But I think that’s ok sometimes. I think it’s necessary, in fact, to escape into something not only different than our world, but that is already familiar to us. What I mean is rewatching, rereading, re-experiencing media we love.
Escapism is all well and good at any level. If I want to go watch a movie I’ve never seen, and it immerses me, makes me think, fascinates me, that is a wonderful way to spend my time. But if I am so emotionally exhausted that I cry in my classroom because Christopher Plummer died at the age of 91 today (yes, that happened), maybe a new, deep movie isn’t right for me.
I could watch something light, of course: a rom com with pretty people and little plot. That’s a great choice, too, and it’s well worth your time. But, knowing me, what I’ll probably do — what I am doing as I write this — is turn on reruns of a TV show I love. Friends. Outlander. Brooklyn 99. Supernatural. I’ve had to adopt some new comfort shows for myself since The Office went of Netflix. It was honestly a blow, but I know I need something comforting and familiar.
I argue highly that this is one of the best uses of our time because rewatching is not only comforting, but it gives us a chance to recharge.
You know how we often have our best ideas in the shower? It’s because when our bodies are occupied doing something else, our mind has a chance to wander a bit, to be creative. I think rewatching “comfort” shows or familiar shows does something very similar. We know the story beats, the reactions. Our mind isn’t trying to anticipate the next move; for those of us with anxiety, that is a blessing. It allows us to truly “power down” while our mind still feels occupied.
Currently, I feel a bit scattered and certainly exhausted. It took me a while to settle on a topic to write about here, but I knew I wanted to write about something. It’s another thing that helps me recharge and assess where I’m at. I landed on this because, when I shut my laptop, I’m going to pour a glass of wine and restart The Good Place, one of my all-time favorite comfort shows.
And after I mentally check out for a few hours, I will have the bandwidth once more to deal with the big issues. I can plan social-emotional lessons that will help coax my socialization-starved kids out of their shells. I can have a constructive conversation with that friend from high school rather than yelling at them over Facebook. I can think of a third example for my blog post that is both relevant and interesting.
So go back to a show or movie you love, even if you’re not someone who normally rewatches things. You might be surprised at the boost it gives to your mental health.
