These days are full of work, running my kids around, and cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. Sound familiar? Ever feel like escaping the mundane? Ever want reassurance that you’re not a bad mom? Ever feel mad at yourself for mentally complaining when you know you should be grateful?
Well, my Netflix “therapy” can help with those things and more!
Most days I feel like I want to just laugh. A funny show sends me off to bed with a smile. I don’t want to be educated or elevated in any way; I just want to laugh! Other days, I can handle something deeper: a good story with a heartfelt message or something that pulls on my heartstrings. There are days when my brain is eager to solve a good mystery or handle one of those dark, twisted stories that make you cringe. Every now and then, I can handle a good documentary on a Sunday night. So what’s my one stop shop for all of this escapism? Sometimes I shop elsewhere, but my go-to is Netflix.
Laugh Therapy
Superstore (NBC, TV-14, 2015, five seasons)—These supermarket employees, who wear blue vests with yellow lettering, have all the stereotypical personalities that make this show work. There is the snoop, the flirt, the smart one, the dumb one, the uptight one, and so on. The episodes often center on a misunderstanding or lie that grows and becomes more outrageous as the show goes on. It’s absolutely ridiculous and totally fall-off-the-couch funny. Some of the humor is crude and often sexual in nature, but if you aren’t easily offended, it delivers laugh after laugh.
Ego Booster
Workin’ Moms (Netflix, TV-MA, 2017, three seasons)—This show takes many real struggles of working women and exaggerates and pokes fun of them. Some of these women act out in the reality of being overwhelmed by motherhood and the problems of trying to find work-life balance. Any mom can relate and laugh at these over-the-top trials and fails. This show makes you feel “normal” even when you see yourself in these scenarios.
Emotional Release Therapy
Cable Girls (Netflix, TV-MA, 2017, four seasons)—This is a period piece set in the 1920s, when young women are beginning to attain a shred of independence by working and living apart from their families. Of course, this is not without its own set of problems and issues. These young women also fall in and out of love and deal with personal issues that make me remember another part of my life and fully embrace where I am now. I shed some tears along with some of the girls on the show as the storylines touch my memories and wishes.
Affirmation
MINDHUNTER (Netflix, TV-MA, 2017, two seasons)—This dark show focuses on two FBI agents who study serial killers to find out how they think. It can be disturbing and eye-opening and is not for the faint of heart, and while fictional, the show does depict actual information about known serial killers. I thought this one would be too sick and gruesome for me, but I have found it intriguing. The show makes me feel like I’m not that crazy or weird. Whew!
The OA (Netflix, TV-MA, 2016, two seasons)—The first season made me question, cringe, flinch, and wonder. There are definitely lots of twists and turns in this show, which centers on scientific human experimentation, abductions, after-life questions, and so much more. After watching the first episode of the second season, I remembered how much I enjoyed the eerie, wild rides that this show provides, although I often find myself looking away for a few seconds or holding my breath at the often bizarre storyline. Hap, one of the main characters, is truly evil. It makes you feel secure in the knowledge that yes, you might do a little gossiping or lie a little about your weight, but overall you are a good person.
Compassion Building
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix, TV-MA, 2013, seven seasons)—This series delves into the lives of different women who have ended up in prison for various reasons. Each inmate has her faults, and each day brings hardship and different hurdles. But when you realize that sometimes fate dealt these women a bad hand and their lives were always on the brink of something going wrong, you take stock of your own life. You realize that you might not come from the best of circumstances, but you sure should be grateful that you get to sleep in your own bed in your own space! Not to mention, you get to pick out your own clothes!
