So, I feel like I blinked and now I’m already on Season 3 of Parks and Recreation again. I was overwhelmed one day and decided to watch an early episode of the show, and have since continued the rewatch on other nights where I just want to decompress. This time around, I’m feeling reflective about how this show and some other series like it have been there for me like a funny friend in times when I've needed it.
How Parks And Recreation Has Helped Me With My Mental Health
Like so many people, I found Parks and Recreation on a streaming service years after it’d already been on the air. I was actually in my freshman year of college when I decided to watch it. Looking back, I was dealing with a lot of uncertainty over living away from home and practically starting my life over for the first time. That year, not only did I watch every season of Parks and Recreation, but I also got through all of another perfect long-binge show, Friends, too.
In retrospect, that was kind of a lot of hours by myself. But I also had a great freshman year. I literally met the core group of college friends who I don’t go very long without seeing over a decade later.
Even so, it's interesting to think about how having comedy shows in my routine was giving me the dopamine hits I needed to help get through a difficult transition period. I didn’t even really know I was dealing with mental health issues or how to treat them back then, which I’ve since had my own journey with, and still, I go back to comedy as medicine, and I think I always will.
Why It’s My Perfect Comfort Show
I’ve gone back and watched the show quite a few times over during moments where I’ve needed more levity. This time around, I’ve been thinking about how much I’m enjoying Parks and Rec, but I don't really “need” to the degree that I used to. I have a lot more tools that help me with my mental health than the citizens of Pawnee. I find myself very grateful for the time when it was there for me, and that it can be there for me again whenever I need some extra laughs in my life.
Clearly, I’m not alone. Everyone's got their comfort on TV – whether it be scary movies, reality TV shows or whatever. As I rewatch Parks and Recreation, I’ve asked myself, “What is it about it?” One thing I really love is Leslie Knope and her endless strength and optimism to fight for what she believes in at work. Similarly to her, I have an idealistic sensibility, and watching her personality clash with her reality, where things absolutely do not go how she envisions them, not only makes for hilarious moments but is really cathartic for me as well. Then there's the found family of it all. It's so fun to see these characters who are inherently different despite it all get along. It's kind of utopian in a way.
But, honestly, there’s so much I love about Parks and Rec still. I’m loving the slow-burn romance between Leslie and Ben and all the platonic friendships in it. They feel like my family and friends in a sense because it’s been more than a TV show to me, and I think that’s really special.
