Before our town library closed for at least two weeks, I ran over there and ransacked the place. I grabbed a huge bunch of books and old school DVDs for my kids, then hit the adult shelves. I found myself gravitating towards books that I’d read years ago and loved (two of which are pictured here). And along the same lines, these past few nights my husband and I have revisited two of our early oughts favorites, The Wire and Arrested Development.
In cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), we discuss the importance of including two types of activities in your day: mastery-oriented (i.e. that help you feel accomplished) and pleasurable. This mandate is particularly critical during our current scary times. On Friday I posted about goal-directed activities, so today’s post is geared towards pleasurable activities. My Corona-Momming Tip for the Day: Make sure you and your kids consume some “pop culture comfort food” every day.
If you’re like me, your comfort food means books and TV shows and movies you’ve consumed before. I honestly felt transported last night after watching a Wire episode that I had not seen in at least 10 (maybe 15?) years. My husband and I reminisced about sitting in our cramped New York City apartment, burning through one episode after another from my brother’s gigantic DVD boxed set. For a few moments, at least, we talked about something not related to the Coronavirus. It reminded me that there was a time pre-Coronavirus…and that there will be a time post-Coronavirus.
I’ve also been encouraging my sons to seek out their own pop culture comfort food. And interestingly, they have been returning to some things they’ve read/seen before, as well as watching new things again and again (thank you, Lego Masters!)
Make sure you give yourself a little helping of pop culture comfort food each day. Let it remind you of different times, and maybe even provide you with hope for better times in the future. I’d love to hear about the pop culture you’re consuming—please reach out to me via email (dimarco@njcbt.com) or on social media (@DrCBTMom on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram).
