The 3 Secret Mental Health Supertools You’re Already Using

Especially during these cold winter months, there’s nothing better than getting under a warm blanket and watching your favorite shows and movies…and then doing it again after you’ve finished them. Have you ever wondered what it was about the re-watch that made you feel so warm and happy? How about when you hear that song from your youth and feelings of joy and contentment follow?

Watching The Office or the same holiday movies repeatedly each year seems like a strange way to spend your time, yet so many of us do it! I started wondering why and decided to pause and see it through my therapist brain for a moment, as well as seek out the science to find out what this binging of old favorites truly does for our mental health. The bottom line? It is comfortable, familiar, and soothing.

3 Helpful Self-Soothing Supertools

#1 TV Show Re-runs

When it comes to re-watching shows, the benefits become even more particular. Since 2020, we have seen decades-old shows get rebooted or otherwise transformed to the present – Friends, Gossip Girl, Dexter, Parks and Recreation, and even Harry Potter’s reunion special. Producers understood the assignment of bringing beloved characters back to life, which in some ways has made it easier to stay indoors with some of the people we’ve loved most on our screens.

#2 Meaningful Songs

In addition to those re-runs we love, have you ever heard a song come on the radio and become instantly catapulted back to a time when you were in love, or proud, or experiencing the truest joy? Songs have a unique way of latching onto a moment and etching it forever into our minds. It makes sense that we turn to music intentionally to transport us back to those moments of bliss, and why this is a powerful medium to help set the tone for our days moving forward.

#3 Mindfulness and Motivational journeys

While the first two suggestions are the most popular super tools, this third one is something that therapists have long known about and encourage in their clients. Intentionally seeking out moments of reflection through a meditation app like Calm, tuning in to inspirational messages such as “Get Back Up” by Nick Vujicic on YouTube, or listening to mindfulness experts such as Eckhart Tolle and his book  “A New Earth”, can raise your awareness of what is good and helpful in the world.  These moments of reflection and inspiration can teleport you from reality and its problems and help you see what is possible.

So, when it comes to watching familiar shows hearing a meaningful song from the past, or being made aware of hope, what is that truly doing for us psychologically? Here’s the truth. As deeply resilient people, even amid global strain, we’ve drifted towards these self-soothing habits of seeking familiarity in times of anxiety or stress. We need something to ground us and tether us to happier moments and experience a sense of control when chaos is all around us. We might also learn that we actually have all the resources we need to make it through.

Mental Health Benefits of Grounding Supertools

Below are some of the mental health benefits of engaging in that re-watch binge, replaying that special song, or taking some time to immerse yourself in feel good meditation.

It activates feelings of nostalgia.

In this season of the world, we are desperately craving normalcy, familiarity, and groundedness. Not coincidentally, these are feelings or concepts one might also find in therapy. When we use nostalgia to recall comfortable or joyous feelings that are often activated by our favorite shows, songs, or inspirations, we time-travel in place. In a world where travel is restricted and close social interactions are dangerous, nostalgia can transport us to a time when we weren’t captured or stuck.

It refills our energy reserves.

There is an abundance of articles that talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased our cognitive load. This basically means that we are activating the stress on our working memory as we maintain our vigilance and safety, thereby monitoring our decisions or interactions more often. These neurological responses zap our energy, making everything feel like more work. When it’s time to relax, we may just want something predictable or calming so that we can finally let our defenses down. Old re-watches or feel good songs and words, give us the space to replenish our energy while allowing us to feel in control of our memory, energy, and attention.

It releases good feeling chemicals in our body.

This high cognitive load we’ve been carrying around like a badge of shame can initiate stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that disrupt and ravage our bodies. And unfortunately, our bodies are also a large respondent to our mental health!

We often talk about holistic healing in my therapy practice and the link between the mind and body. In this case, it means that if your body is worn down, there isn’t much room to feel good emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Connecting to old memories through shows, songs, videos, provides us with a hit of dopamine—the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of pleasure—which is also connected to how we reach mental clarity and problem-solving. You’re nourishing your body with protective tools to survive your circumstances by simply feeling pleasure!

It gives us permission to rest.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, these tools have a way of giving us permission to rest. What I mean by this is that engaging in new content, storylines, or character development can seem like a feat (imagine not knowing how Breaking Bad ends each time you watched it again!), whereas familiar, known stories allow us to relax into the certainty of what’s coming. Finding rest in familiar TV shows, songs, and loving messages, relieves anxiety or anticipation of what’s next while living in a world where we know that there is goodness and love.

Moral of the story: Go on and watch that show for the 5th time, hit the proverbial replay on that song from 1994, or let your body relax in the midst of soothing and encouraging words/sounds that nourish your nostalgic, familiar, and contentment-craving soul.

To learn more about alternative tools for your anxiety supertool box, visit us for more information on individual therapy services at www.havenfamilytherapy.com