It’s late at night. How late isn’t exactly clear. Come to think of it, you aren’t 100% certain what day it is. Wednesday, maybe Thursday? Never mind. The concept of days almost seems redundant when you’re only allowed to leave the house to go to Asda. The room is dark, moonlight is seeping in gently through a gap in the curtains. Silence fills the space around you. You’re in a daze. Straddling the border between awake and asleep. Somewhere in the distance, you notice a strange light emanating from the gloom. Confusion sets in, then panic. Is this it? Has your time come?
No. You fell asleep after 11 straight hours binge-watching Brooklyn 99 and Netflix is wondering if you’re still watching. Or still alive for that matter.
I’m sure the majority of the people reading this will have found themselves in a similar situation at some point during lockdown. Or lockdown 2.0. Or whatever lockdown it is we are currently in.
I don’t know exactly how many hours I spent during lockdown watching movies and TV shows. If I knew the exact figure it might make me feel incredibly ashamed of myself. I might think about all that time I could have spent being productive, learning new skills.
I’ve always wanted to learn a second language or learn how to draw properly. I’ve always wanted to learn more than 3 chords on the guitar.
Did I learn a new language, however? Or how to draw, or how to play more than 3 chords on the guitar? Did I fuck. And I don’t feel particularly bad about it.
2020 has been an overwhelmingly, incredibly shit year for everyone. For the most part, we’ve all had to put our lives on hold. Plans have been changed, trips have been cancelled. Nothing has panned out quite the way it was supposed to. So, given the strange and hard times we’re living in, what’s wrong with a little escapism? Absolutely nothing.
What does it matter if you’ve seen someone posting on social media that during lockdown they learned how to do a triple somersault over a fire, or how to backflip blindfolded over barbed wire? Did sitting in front of the TV watching films entertain you? Did it distract you from the horrors of the world for a while?
Did it make you happy?
If it did, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else was up to.
This pandemic has exposed for many the difficulties of keeping on top of your mental health. Some people might find it easy when you can go out and do whatever you like, go and see whoever you want to see, but when options are limited you have to do what you can to take care of yourself. For some, this might be devoting their time to learning something new, for others it might be seeking comfort in a familiar movie. The goal is the same.
So, the next time you’re sitting in front of the TV, and you lose track of what time it is, or how many episodes you’ve watched, and that familiar message pops up on the screen to ask you if you’re still watching, don’t feel guilty.
Just remember and turn it off before you go to bed.