What is a Comfort Show? The Secret Coping Mechanism You’re Already Using

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Have you heard of a comfort show before?

Check out our blog for a compilation of what you need to know about the secret coping mechanism you’re (likely) already using. 

Can re-watching a show really be considered a coping mechanism?

Comfort is a currency, and your favorite streaming service speaks it fluently. Our daily lives are filled with complexities, uncertainty, and challenges we cannot anticipate but what you watch on TV doesn’t have to be—especially not if you’re re-watching an old fave for the 5th (or 15th, I’m not judging) time. 

I am not ashamed to admit that my firstborn could sing along to the Gilmore Girls theme song before her first birthday and if you have a comfort show, you’re probably nodding along already. But what is a comfort show? How do they happen, and how did these on-repeat sitcoms and series become a millennial coping mechanism for mental health struggles?

Let’s take a deep dive into comfort shows!

You can’t stop watching (that one show) because science

And, like, lots of science. There are a few key reasons why you may turn to the same familiar show to take a break from the intensity of your life.

In part, this is because we are creatures of habit. The more times we experience something, the more likely we are to enjoy it. This works for our comfort shows as well.

Comfort shows are a particularly effective balm for anxious people because the predictability and emotional return on investment they provide can help you to disconnect from the overwhelming feelings of anxiety in a familiar way.

If you are feeling overwhelmed or out of control, the return to stability that a comfort re-watch provides is a form of escapism as much as it is a way to re-gain a sense of safety and control in your life.

That’s a positive way to take back your power without expending much energy which can be great if you’re feeling particularly depleted. 

Does it work as a coping mechanism for mental health support?

If you have a comfort show and are using it to help you feel less overwhelmed by your daily life in any of the ways we’ve mentioned, it’s likely already an effective coping mechanism. No one had to tell you that you recognized safety in this series for you to begin to seek it. 

If retreating to the predictable safely of this fictional setting and its characters helps you to feel more settled, even or even just acts as a buffer, then you have your answer. It absolutely does work as a coping mechanism for you. While that might not be the case for everyone, you are not charged with the task of finding solutions for everyone. The important thing here is to find something that works for you (and recognize when you have). 

Finding answers that help you feel safe and empowered in your life is exactly what you’re after so if your comfort show helps fill your cup, it’s absolutely a coping mechanism for mental health. 

With so few ways to truly sink into nostalgia like it’s a well-timed bubble bath, these shows offer us a glimpse into a past that doesn’t change and a future that we can depend on without asking us to hit pause on our own growth. That’s pretty powerful stuff. 

Here’s why nostalgia can help relieve stress

Are you feeling stress more than you once did? As the pandemic wound down and we began to emerge once more into a world so many of us are more than a little skeptical of, reboots of old favorite media have soared in popularity. From sequels to new imaginings of old favorites, nostalgia is getting its time in the spotlight as people pick up on the critical value of comfort shows and seek to cash in on it. 

In this case, it’s a double edged sword. We’re getting new content that creates diverse and incredible possibilities within our old favorites, but it also introduces new variables into an otherwise predictable retreat. This can raise exciting but complex feelings as we get the dopamine boost of something nostalgic but new, while also bringing up anxiety in a place we have frequently found ourselves feeling safe. 

Even with that risk, nostalgia prevails through the power of familiarity when it comes to comfort shows. These reboots and sequels only have so much sway because even if they go awry, we can return to the original content and douse ourselves in that sense of safety there. 

Permission to (re)watch!

Before Netflix asks if we’re still watching, let’s summarize: comfort shows can be a healthy and valuable tool in making sense of a world too fast and sharp for soft hearts.

Whether you’re returning to a steamy Scottish adventure on Outlander or just languishing in Stars Hollow with the Gilmore Girls, we get it. We even polled our friends to learn that Friends, The Simpsons, Supernatural, Schitt’s Creek and New Girl top their comfort show lists.

So if you need it, here’s your permission: re-watch that show without shame! You can even share it with the people you love in your life- even your kids (if you want, again—no judgment cause me time is valuable too)! Luna Joy supports you in all your re-watches and returns to safety through the comfort of a familiar show. 

Disclaimer: Not all advice is for everyone, and this coping mechanism should not be thought of as a cure-all for all people or all mental health ailments. Some people may benefit greatly from a dip into nostalgia, while others may find that a refreshing walk outside is enough to clear the day’s anxieties. This coping tool works best when combined with other skills and means of coping in a well-balanced life. 

Connect with us today to work with a therapist and discover the set of coping mechanisms perfectly suited to you & your lifestyle.