On being sick and the cure of pop culture

I’ve been low-key sick for almost a week now, functioning at only half of my usual capacity. The only benefit to this is the excuse to catch up on some pop-culture. As a therapy-obsessed therapist, I avoid consuming content that doesn't feel therapeutic, so I didn’t just indulge in random series.Instead I binge-watched all seasons of Ted Lasso and Heartstopper, two shows that in unique ways feel like receiving a warm and healing hug.I’ve never been much of a TV person, primarily due to not owning a TV until recently, and my cautious approach towards screens' impact on our minds.

Growing up as a schoolteacher's child, books also happened to capture my heart before TV had a chance. However, while nursing my virus-stricken body with TV as a recovery strategy, I’m reminded that the right shows, in suitable amounts, can broaden perspectives. I'm neither a middle-aged American football coach relocated to the UK (like Ted Lasso), nor a queer British teenager (like Nick and Charlie and their gang from Heartstopper). Yet, watching their fictional lives unfold imparts lessons about the psychology of those different from me. Also, the trajectory and characters of these two shows encapsulate the hope and 'both-and' essence that's crucial to human potential and thus therapy.

Both 'Heartstopper' and 'Ted Lasso' present an optimistic outlook on the human condition, depicting their characters’ multi-faceted personalities, full of flaws, yet capable of growth and connection. A constant thread in both series is a heartwarming perspective of kindness conquering (almost) everything that resonates with my therapeutic philosophy. They underscore the inherent complexity of people as well as our shared potential for resilience and compassion, and so as I recuperate, I am deeply appreciative of pop culture’s restorative and therapeutic power.