My anxiety has gotten a bit stronger in the recent years so I have started favoring some media over others, mostly ones that help me relax and decompress and maybe escape my mental state for a while. For those I usually just watch youtube videos and listen to podcasts and sometimes I'll watch a few horror or action movies. One of my favorite podcasts is a Joe Rogan's because I like a lot of the new information I get to learn there and it also gets very spiritual sometimes in his own way so to me that is what I find calms me down a bit nowadays. What do you guys watch or listen to that helps with your anxiety or stress?
I have this great DVD of tropical fish swimming around to instrumental music. It's over an hour long and really good to chill out to. My son used to love it and called it "The Amazing Fish Show". He always wanted to watch it. It's really great on a big screen, but I can play it on my laptop as well. If I want to watch TV and the news gets too stressful, I usually put on one of the animal channels. I like Dr. Pol the best, but I also like nature documentaries. There was a really interesting one on beavers not too long ago. It's relaxing and educational at the same time.
For me it has to be light-hearted comedy where you don't have to concentrate and usually I go to the gag reels on YouTube. It's quick and easy and the clips are short. I have some songs on a playlist that make me feel better, and I am thinking of creating a new one as there are a little tired now. I like the 'Supernatural' gag reels, 'Big Bang Theory' ,'Friends' and also 'Suits' has good ones.
I guess I'm boring, but classical music does it for me, pretty much. I love the sound of the violin especially, and listening to violin concertos always calms me down (as a side effect they might bring on other, quite strong emotions, as music often does with me, so I have to choose my music pretty carefully for the occasion).
I usually watch either k-dramas or j-dramas even though there is a risk that they are going to be sad. I find that the characters are very sweet and sentimental. Plus the bad guys always get punished in the end because there is always a sense of fairness. I do also enjoy the Big Bang Theory though, it's really funny. I will watch comedy stand ups for a quick laugh. When I'm really down though, nothing really beats listening to music, sometimes I need to listen to some rock music like Asking Alexandria or something softer like Justin Bieber, it depends on my mood. Music is by far the best pick me up for me.
Pretty much any TV show that manages to make me engrossed in their story, part of why I hate movies since they can't tell a story properly in only 1:30-2 hours. I also love just playing video games when I'm anxious, anything that gets my mind off from the real world is beneficial. Also, junk food is pretty great to relax from time to time.
Writing, reading and video games are my first go too things when trying to not feel depressed or anxious. If one of those isn't working sometimes a walk works too or getting lost in a movie or show. Sometimes I find comedy better for I can laugh since I tend to watch a lot of action and drama related things.
I love listening to movie/musical soundtracks. I'm a big Disney fan, and a broadway nut. So music is very healing to me, because it has always been a source of inspiration and dream-fuel. I don't sit down to watch things much for the sake of relaxation, though. I watch Once Upon A Time and Gotham as far as tv is concerned, and that's about it these days! (And those keep me on my toes, so I don't consider them relaxing, hah.)
I always listen to 1 hour of rain, and I put it on repeat because I just love how soothing it is, I also have one hour of ocean sounds and rain forest, plus some thunder and rain also. I feel like this is a big part of what relaxes me, and I have been doing it for almost 3 years now. I enjoy it a lot, and I think everyone else should pick up on the habit. When there are lots of crazy birds outside chirping, and keeping me awake, I have to put my headphones on. They always calm me.
I too love the sound of water, in all forms. Rain, a running stream, the ocean... There's just something very soothing about it.
I don't watch anything whenever I go on relaxation mode because if I use my eyes more it causes strains and most of the time I think a lot than think nothing. What I do when I shut down myself to relax is to listen to Binaural Beats when I sleep. Binaural Beats clears my mind of anxiety and stressful ideas but it doesn't ends to that because for me, this music also enhances the capabilities of my brain. You should try it out sometime.
That’s really amazing. I also love rain and whenever I get a chance I would like to get wet in rain. I think hearing something like a soothing sound of nature could really calm us. It may be something like sound of rain or slow flowing of water. I would definitely give it a try. Thanks for sharing. I find music as a great rejuvenator for me. I always try to listen to light music. At work we have a centralized music system which is really relaxing. I also use my ear phones while travelling. I also like to see comedy programs on TV or through Internet. Watching comedy shows give some light moments but they are only short lived. In this regard a good soothing music can give a long lasting result in my experience.
I really enjoy the sound of rain. I don't know what it is about it, but the sound of rain hitting the floor or window is mesmerizing to me. It helps me fall asleep when I can't and I can even work to it. It's just an all purpose sound to me.
