People do different things to alleviate stress. We do activities and seek outlets to get our mind off whatever is stressing us out. One of my friends goes running at five in the morning as her escape. Another turns to drawing and sketching. I often journal and write stories as my own escape. But lately I've been using another medium to get my mind off stress from college applications.
Lately (three months ago), I've gotten into watching Asian dramas. Especially Korean dramas. It began in Stanford, California, when my roommate introduced me to the Korean drama The Heirs. I loved it. I wanted to try more. Pretty soon, I was watching other Korean dramas such as She Was Pretty, Kill Me, Heal Me, Healer, and much more. I began watching Chinese dramas, too, like Empress of China, Prince of Lan Ling, etc.
I love Asian dramas, K-dramas in particular. They're very different from American shows. For one, they're bubblier, happier. There can be dark parts but in the end, characters usually get a happy ending.
Also, each K-drama is about one season long; unlike American shows, they never go past one season. While this may seem awful, I now realize that by being one season long, K-dramas remain fresh and interesting in the minds of viewers long after they've finished watching. It also helps that Korean actors and actresses are very easy on the eyes :)
K-dramas get my mind off the stress and uncertainty that is so common during the college process, much like writing does. But while I love watching them and seeing my favorite characters getting a happy ending, I have to be careful not to lose myself in them. It's so easy to plop down on the couch, sink into a fantasy world, and forget my own.
Still, if anyone reading this likes watching TV shows, they should definitely check out Asian dramas (especially K-dramas)!
Here are a few Asian dramas I recommend:
Chinese-Prince of Lan Ling
Chinese-Empress of China
Korean-She Was Pretty
Korean-Kill Me, Heal Me
Korean-Healer
Korean-Let's Fight, Ghost
Korean-Descendants of the Sun
Korean-K2 (currently watching this!)
This post was really funny, especially considering you last week "I think I'm getting over my K-Drama addiction". I think it's interesting how you analyze this phase. What I found really powerful was that this post wasn't negative, which is often the case when we analyze what we do in our free time. I think its really great that you acknowledge the positive side of getting immersed in entertainment, and how it can help relax in this college application time. This was a really concise and clear post.
ReplyDeleteMy guilty pleasure has always been listening to K-pop. I don't know, something about Korean entertainment must be special for so many people worldwide to appreciate it. Your post was funny and more relatable than I'd care to admit!
ReplyDeleteI remember watching some Asian dramas when I went to Singapore over Summer vacation several years ago. They were more addicting than I expected them to be! Though it turns out they were all reruns and my Mom spoiled the endings to me so I'd stop watching them.
ReplyDeleteOh well. Maybe I'll get back into the drama scene, and start with your recommended list!
Lol, you finally wrote about this! I always hear you and Lauren talking about these shows. I'll be sure to check some of them out (although obviously after sending in the rest of college applications)!
ReplyDelete