Bragging about how many hours you have binge watched shows on Netflix is a regular conversation for college students.
"Before I went to bed last night, I watched three episodes of 'Gossip Girl'." "Last night, I watched two hours of 'Bob's Burgers'." "I have done an hour of homework? Huh, now I can reward myself with an episode of 'The Office'."
What is the benefit of binge watching? I don't know, but surely there is some addictive quality to it that makes it irresistible. Getting a Netflix account was one of the most life changing decisions I have made that I make my mom pay for. Thanks for supporting my addiction, Mom. I am not sure why everyone else watches these shows, but for me, it is nice background noise and helps pass my time.
I am unusual because I enjoy watching shows over again. I have watched "The Office" four times, "Parks and Recreation" three times, "Friends" twice, "How I Met Your Mother" twice, "Gossip Girl" twice, "30 Rock" once, "Master of None" once, "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" twice and "Bob's Burgers" once. I am not over exaggerating - just ask my roommates or friends. By the way, I acquired my Netflix account the summer before college. Those shows are simply the TV shows that I have binge watched, but trust me, there are lots of other movies that I have watched on Netflix.
How do I have the time to watch all of these shows? The simple answer is that I don't have the time. But the reality of it is that I watch it in the background of everything. The majority of people will do things while listening to music, but not me. That is when I am watching/listening to a show. I have seen these shows too many times to be too emotionally invested so, therefore, I am able to go about my business with little distraction. Sometimes when I am getting ready to go out and waiting on my friends to come over, I will put "Friends" or "The Office" on in the background. Once my friends come over, I will put on music so that we can all enjoy some background noise.
Once you finish a series, things feel surreal for a little bit as you pull yourself out of the world of the show and move back into reality. You feel sad because it is over and because you have to get into another show. During those crucial few minutes, I often feel particularly down and choose to find comfort in the shows I know and love. I have mentioned it in previous articles, but I suffer from depression and anxiety. Having the stability of these shows through their upbeat speed and plentiful humor helps me find something I can control. Watching them calms me.
During this past semester, I have been very reclusive. The sophomore slump hit me hard, and the result of that was me pulling away from my friends. I fell into a depressed funk. I felt numb and lonely from my own making. I found some peace in watching Netflix. I would lay in bed and feel paralyzed from sad and dark feelings. Sometimes I would just have an overwhelming need to cry. I would just lay in bed, curled up under the covers with my eyes wide open as my mind ran around in circles. I would pull out my laptop and turn on the comedy TV shows I knew so well. The humor would pacify me and sometimes lift my spirits. The characters would have their ups and downs which helped me realize that I was just going through a down time. The worlds that these shows are in were tiny oases from my dark emotions. The repetitiveness soothed my turbulent thoughts.
The consistency and normalcy of the shows kept me sane. They still do. As I still pull myself out of this funk, I find familiar faces in the characters of the shows. I laugh and feel sad for the events happening in the characters lives and it helps me feel things again. I am thankful for these shows on Netflix because they have helped me cope with my depression. It may not work for everybody, but it has been for me. Coping and pushing through the low points with depression is difficult, but I believe that finding outlets and staying connected with friends and family can drastically help.
