Thoughts & Things

The Catharsis of Media

In times of stress and sadness, it's incredibly easy to fall back onto a few particular things that bring you a great deal of comfort. I have been under a great deal of physical and emotional stress lately, so I have fallen back onto something that has always brought me a great deal of comfort. It just so happens that it's a broad category, as it is media.

I do have particular things that I fall back to, but they all tend to fit into the category of media, which isn't surprising if you know that that sums up all of my hobbies. I thought I would take a little bit of time to share some of the things that bring me a lot of peace in times of stress.

TV shows are a big one, since they can provide a lot of emotional comfort, as well as distract from what's upsetting me in the first place. I tend to fall back on shows I've seen a lot of, mostly because they provide the most comfort, but also because if I feel distracted I don't end up missing anything. The Simpsons has always been a big one for me, but in the past several years, I've also found that Law and Order: SVU and Grey's Anatomy tend to act incredibly reassuring, like comfort eating without the food. It's also reassuring to know that it's at my disposal for however long I need, be that twenty minutes or seven hours. Movies are another big one, as they can provide just as much of an emotional comfort and distraction for me as TV shows, but for a slightly longer time constraint.

Books have always been an important part of easing my emotions. There's something about escaping into another world that just allows you to exhale your emotions into some other place that can handle it, and inhale all of the magic and wonder in its place. I think it's particularly true of romance and fantasy novels, but just about any bit of fiction can transport me to a place where my problems don't matter, and my emotions can be sorted out through someone else's problems.

Music is also a huge catharsis for me. The mood and the tone of certain songs just helps me to feel a certain sense of peace with myself and the world. I think it also allows me to put my emotions somewhere they won't be destructive. An angry song can let me push my anger out where it won't hurt anyone. A sad song can help me push my sadness out where it won't hurt me.

I feel like sometimes I don't appreciate my media hobbies for all they do for me. I love them, and I know I love them. But sometimes it's easy to forget that I'd probably be lost in a sea of turbulent emotions without them.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Thirty. Three days of leave taken total.)