The Leaves Are Changing and I Am Crying

Oct 27, 20212 min read

Don’t Text, I’m Watching Gilmore Girls and Ignoring My Responsibilities

CREDIT: Courtesy of E! Online

There’s something about my crippling mid-semester to-do list that just screams fictional escapism.

October is the month of all the things: midterms, projects, football games and the dawn of autumn. At this point, I am frightened of my Canvas calendar...thus, I avoid opening it at all costs.

Every year, like clockwork, us burnt out college students ignore our responsibilities, bring out the discount fall candles and sit down for a “Twilight” marathon. Yes, this is a universal experience. None of us have ever had an original thought.

Think of all your usual fall media choices. Are most of them from your childhood and early adolescence? You are not alone. Let’s unpack our shared tendency to revert back to our younger selves’ taste in fiction, and why the fall is the perfect time to do so.

If you’re anything like me, you overthink like it’s your damn job. When I’m trying to get my brain to shut up, there’s nothing quite like mindlessly watching some nostalgia TV. If you see me binge watching “Gilmore Girls” and pretending I am living in Stars Hollow instead of Gainesville… no, you didn’t. I mean, can you blame me? It’s the middle of October and it’s still 80 degrees F outside.

It is actually psychologically proven that watching shows and movies from your youth can make you feel happier. Picture this: You and your roommates are piled up on a couch, sipping hot drinks and watching your favorite comfort film — pure, unadulterated bliss. Next time someone gives you grief for watching “Hocus Pocus” for the millionth time, tell them you are simply putting your mental health first.

In our chaotic lives, there is nothing more comforting than tuning out the world and letting fiction take you back to simpler times. Is it the most sensible choice to have a movie marathon instead of turning in all of my missing assignments? Not exactly, but it sure as hell is going to boost my serotonin levels. I’ll take all the joy I can get nowadays.

Daniella Conde is an Online Writer at Rowdy Magazine. When she's not lost in productivity while sipping on an overpriced caffeinated beverage at a coffeeshop, you can find her attending way too many shows on Harry Styles' Love on Tour, obsessing over Taylor Swift Easter eggs or finding any possible way to flee Gainesville for the weekend.