Practice Self-Care: Stop Watching that Show that Makes you Angry

We’ve all been there, in that moment of anger. You know, where a show you used to love, one you used to make time for, one you spent countless hours of your life discussing and analyzing, just …goes too far. We’ve all been there.

For many reasons, too. TV is a very subjective medium, as is all art, and there’s no way to make everyone happy. Maybe that thing that made you decide to stop watching was the thing that drew someone else in. Maybe the characters you hate are characters other people love, and vice-versa. So, this is a pretty universal situation.

Now, I’m not one to advocate for quitting anything. Or at least, I didn’t use to be. I was that girl, the one who read every book she was assigned to read, no matter how boring it was or how much I wanted to chuck it out the window. But age has given me the wisdom to know when to throw the towel.

When to quit.

Or, you know, at least take a break.

Loving something is hard. We are sorta getting to the place where we understand this when it comes to our real-life relationships. It’s hard, and it takes effort, and care. Sadly, our love for art, for fictional characters, is the same, if a bit more one-sided in the sense that they cannot change as quickly as we can.

They cannot adapt to our needs.

So, I’m here to tell you, it’s okay to stop watching a show. It’s okay to practice self-care and just walk away. I promise.

It doesn’t even have to be forever. We’ve talked about this subject ad nauseum, but it’s okay to stop watching a show for a few episodes, for half a season, for the episodes your favorite isn’t on, etc, etc.

YOU’RE NOT A BAD FAN.

THERE ARE NO TRUE FANS.

THIS IS NOT A COMPETITION.

Plus, have you taken a look around? Have you read the news? The world is literally going to hell, the sky is falling, why do you need to torture yourself? Reality is ready to do it for you.

Which is why self-care is more important than ever.

And hey, this whole advice thing doubly applies if the show you’re considering dropping is actually, actively sending bad messages. As discussed above, we don’t have time for that shit anymore. We gotta worry about real life already, and that sucks enough.

Even if it doesn’t, though, it’s okay to just say you don’t want to watch something because …well, because they’re taking forever with your ship, because they screwed over your favorite character, because you don’t like where a story-line is going, or all of those combined.

Being a fan isn’t about signing a blank check to the creators and then just sitting back and taking it. You have a choice.

Watch or don’t.

So, pick entertainment that …well, entertains you. That makes you happy, that makes you feel positive things. And, if you’ve reached a point where something you loved, something that spoke to you, something that defined you, stops doing that …then quit.

It’s called self-care. And no one’s going to blame you for it.

Lissete Lanuza Sáenz

Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Eternal optimist. Fangirl since the dawn of time. Hates the color yellow, olives and cigarettes. Has a recurring nightmare where she’s forced to choose between sports and books. Falls in love with fictional characters.