College is inarguably one of the most stressful times in a person's life. As we navigate the waters of adulthood having been thrown in head first, it’s difficult to have so much responsibility when not too long ago, we were just teenagers in high school. Between classes, organizations, jobs, Greek life and socializing, we get the taste of adulthood, only a few years separating us from the “real world” we’ve heard so much about. The whole experience is stressful, exhausting and time consuming.
People deal with this in different ways. Some settle into full-on adulthood, getting their club fix every Thursday night. Others spend their time camped in Club Olin, watching Netflix between term papers. I’ve tried and done many of these things, but I find that the best way to deal with this newfound adulthood is to let go and recede to my childhood, swimming with my favorite mermaid, saving the world with my favorite greek god, and painting with all the colors of the wind.
That’s right; I deal with stress by watching Disney movies.
This sounds strange on its surface. After all, on the surface, Disney movies are for children and are frequently marketed as such. However, there’s something very relieving about throwing yourself into a movie where you know the ending will be good, where true love conquers all, and everything is wrapped up with a pretty, musical ending.
Not just as college students, but as people in general, we lead stressful lives. There is so much work and not much time to do it in, and we’re expected to set aside our person issues and show up to class and work daily, lest we deal with the consequences. We’re past the stage of learning who we are; now we acclimate into the world as our discovered selves, and try to make that person fit into society in a productive way. Try as we might, our goals might not always be completed, and the ending might not be so happy, or even conclusive.
It’s freeing to sit back for an hour and a half and watch these characters go through a journey of self discovery all over again. Whether they’re looking for love like Anna or looking to be successful like Tiana, it’s refreshing to see success and a happily ever after. It rebuilds the hope in us that’s been knocked out by professors, bosses, and stress inducing parents that magic and reassures us that goodness still exists, even if we’re still sifting our way through the “bad” part of our proverbial movies.
At the end of the day, they are just movies, and we have to go back to our real lives, without the furry sidekicks or beautiful women singing and narrating our way through the day. But that spark of magic, hope, whatever you want to call it, brings much needed happiness into our busy, hectic days. Though we’re old enough to know that things don’t work like they do in Disney movies, we’re still young enough to keep trying for a better tomorrow, and keeping that inner child alive is the best thing you can do.
