Content That Got Me Through Some Sh*t

A list of the media and content that got me through those "omg nothing has ever been worse" times in my life

This might be a very *millennial* take, but the content that I listen to and watch has an impact on my life. If you're like me and need some good content to get you through 2018, here's what I recommend.

The Leviathan Chronicles (podcast)

Via leviathanchronicles.com

What it is: The Leviathan Chronicles is a fiction podcast that feels like listening to a professionally produced novel. It's a sci-fi story that hearkens back to early audio-dramas and provides the perfect escape.

What it got me through: Just before graduating college I was living in Manhattan with my girlfriend and life was looking GREAT. I had a dream internship, a tiny but lovely apartment on the Upper East Side. Everything was rainbows and sunshine. Until my girlfriend came home and told me she was seeing someone else and kicked me out of our apartment. So I came face to face with a commute from Bucks County, PA to NYC and back every single day. For the remainder of my internship, The Leviathan Chronicles was my escape and the only way I stayed sane.

Scrubs (TV series)

Via hulu.com

What it is: Scrubs is one of the funniest and most heartwarming sitcoms I've ever had the pleasure of watching. It follows a group of medical interns in a hospital full of characters and it will make you feel some things. Not to mention it has one of the greatest television soundtracks of all time.

What it got me through: After I finished my dream internship and graduated, I was still living with my parents in Bucks County and looking for jobs in New York. When I finally got my first job, I was still facing my brutal commute (about 2 and a half hours door to door), and long hours at a job I didn't love. Streaming Scrubs helped me deal with all of my frustrations and feelings head on and although I definitely was not saving lives, I related heavily to the characters constantly working and struggling to maintain personal lives.

The West Wing (TV series)

Via netflix.com

What it is: The West Wing follows the senior staff to President Josiah Bartlett in one of the most uplifting political dramas ever written for television. Also, it's written by Aaron Sorkin who is by far my favorite writer of all time.

What it got me through: As strange as it seems, The West Wing got me through the aftermath of the 2016 election. I would have thought that watching anything that had to do with politics would only further break my heart, but this show had the opposite effect. I started watching it 2 days after 45 was sworn in, curled up in my bed, paralyzed by fear, and I went from terrified to motivated in a few short hours. This show lives by a quote that I'm sure you heard, but never really sunk in for me until the election. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead

The Office (TV Series)

What it is: The Office needs no introduction, but for anyone who doesn't know, it's a sitcom done mocumentary style that follows the hilariously ordinary lives of the employees at the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

What it got me through: This one was a bit more intangible than the others. There are some moments in life when you just need a really good TV show to keep you grounded and get you through. It was March 2017 and I had yet to make any progress on my New Years' resolutions: get into a regular exercise routine and stop forgoing my friendships for my relationships. I started going to the gym because I could watch The Office while I did cardio and suddenly I was running for half an hour without even realizing it. I stopped swiping through endless dating apps and started paying more attention to my friends because The Office is so heavily built on friendship and how friendship leads to love. I don't know why I needed a TV show to tell me all of this, but I did, and it worked.