It’s been a while, let’s catch up! I last left off with me trying to watch shows as a strategy of detoxing every day, and getting back into TV shows as a form of entertainment and bonding with my roommate in the process. Since initially setting this goal, I am proud to say that I have completed the entire series of You as well as the first season of Criminal Minds and am thoroughly enjoying delving into these Netflix shows. I realized that watching an episode a day (maybe two or three on some days…) helped me just step outside of my busy schedule and just be entrapped into a different world for a little bit. Especially because my roommate and I took upon this stress relieving activity together, we planned our episodes as study breaks or our entertainment while eating in the dorm. It has become a great bonding activity for us; there are many days where each of us will quite literally say, “It’s been a rough day… Criminal Minds?” I actually am able to see myself sustaining this habit as it is extremely individualized and I only participate in it when I know I need a break and I have enough work on my plate where a stress reliever is necessary.
In the past two weeks, I have tried a new stress reliever technique which has been working out three days a week. Oftentimes, when I’m starting to feel overwhelmed I look forward to my dance practice at night where I can disconnect from my school work and just focus on physical activity for two hours each night. However, my dance competition season just ended so I am now looking for a new method to release endorphins and get in exercise. For the past two weeks, I have worked out every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday and it has definitely helped me feel more productive and healthy overall. I will say that while after the workout I feel more motivated to complete my tasks, I do feel a certain pressure to workout to be “healthy” and it’s not always associated with positive thoughts initially. I think that a way to handle this would be to not restrict myself to those three days specifically as my schedule changes quite a lot. I should be flexible and acknowledge that I’m not always going to have positive workouts, but it’s the act of going to the gym and taking care of myself that brings more positivity into my mindset. I will be trying to continue using this mentality and will reflect on its effectiveness in the next blog!
Hi Sanchita,
I love your topic about different types of stress relief! I think this is a great topic and definitely something I could also implement. I love that you were able to turn watching TV shows into a bonding experience with your roommate, and I’m happy to hear that you watched the show You because that is one of my absolute favorite shows. It is just crazy to see the different events and the way that Joe thinks. Also, it is awesome that you are going to the gym as a way to keep active after dance season! You are definitely not alone in your feelings that going to the gym itself kind of sucks, but the positive feeling afterwards makes it totally worth it!
Alex
Hey, I really liked all the ideas you proposed! As someone who is an avid tv show watcher (not so much movies despite my passion blog,) I love your approach to this! I have to admit I’m more of a peppy music on the treadmill kind of girl, but I know so many people who love to workout and watch TV! I know I always make sure to schedule some TV time at the end of the day, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have four 75 minute classes. It’s great you’ve found some replacement for your dance class, I know my THON committee has stopped meeting so I’m looking to fill that void in my schedule as well.
Hey Sanchita! I watch shows as a stress reliever too, and right now, I am rewatching New Girl as a way to destress. It’s the perfect show to watch when you have a lot going on because you don’t have to think too much about what you’re watching. I also watched YOU a few months and really enjoyed it. Personally, I think that the first two seasons are better than the last season that just came out, however I still enjoyed it! I also read the book version of YOU, which I actually think is better than the Netflix version. I haven’t watched Criminal Minds before, but I might start watching it soon because I always here good things about it!