Everyone has their own way of coping with a breakup. One of the best ways, in my experience, is to watch TV to get through the difficult time. Television allows for you to escape from the reality that your life has changed drastically and dive into someone else's problems for a little bit. I took to asking some real women about the best TV shows to watch after a breakup to help process their feelings and move on.
After my own break up in 2016, I breezed through Stranger Things. I had just graduated college, moved to a new city, and started my first full-time job all while dealing with the very fresh split. The new series on Netflix was buzzing all over the internet, and I liked the spooky vibe of it. The characters had much bigger concerns than me losing my best friend and partner — being consumed by the supernatural in the Upside Down (RIP Barb) — and it allowed for an easy escape from dealing with an otherwise constant state of loss. Even though the characters and storylines were fictional, it allowed me to feel connected to something at any time that I wanted to, even though I had a great support system in my friends. So thank you, Stranger Things, and read on to see what worked for other women while going through a painful time in their lives.
You could opt for something that will definitely make you sad, but for other reasons than your breakup. It could be cathartic to put your personal emotions to rest and let yourself feel others' pain instead.
"[It's] the perfect crying TV show," Ilana, 24, tells Elite Daily about This Is Us. "It helps you cry about something else other than your break up, but also releases those pent-up emotions."
"I was feeling heartbroken and anxious, [so] I watched the Netflix docu-series Last Chance U," Emily, 27, tells Elite Daily. "I watched because I’m a sucker for any kind of docuseries and stumbled upon it looking for one of my favorite comfort documentaries, First Position. It came up as a recommendation and I clicked and was totally engrossed from the credits to the end. It’s not a comforting show, it’s actually pretty heartbreaking, but watching the players and staff go through their tough times made me get my mind off of my own."
"It’s rage-inducing, which is probably why I found it so comforting," she continues. "I could still feel things despite being a total state of anxiety and sadness."
"I definitely got more into football when I’ve been through a breakup in the past," Ellis, 24, tells Elite Daily. "I think I like it because it was so void of emotion aside from like, the very tribal 'win or lose.' Plus I think men find women enjoying sports very performative, so it’s sort of like a, 'F*ck you, I like this for me.'"
"My go-to is always The Bachelor, it’s fun to watch with friends or by yourself and there is a good online community too if you are feeling lonely," Maddie, 24, tells Elite Daily.
So while you kick back and watch whatever TV show allows you to process your feelings or escape from it all, make sure you have that perfect glass of wine to accompany yourself as well.
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