Youtube study breaks
Sometimes you just need to watch something light and relaxing that won’t make you any more anxious than you already are.
Unfinished notes, lectures from week 4 that are yet to be watched and the final year exams looming like a dark cloud over the horizon are all the things that could make even the strongest of uni students fall weak on their knees. Talk about a spooky October! It’s anxiety-inducing to think of all those things so it’s important to take frequent short breaks throughout the day to make sure that your brain won’t scramble like a ball of loose yarn.
Sometimes I can feel my anxiety about to rush in when I'm thinking too much about the exams so to avoid having a full-on anxiety attack, I go on YouTube to distract myself. No, not to watch those conspiracy theory and prank channels because they will just make my anxiety worse but YouTubers who's content I always find calming. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Rachel Nguyen
Formerly known as That’s Chic, this blogger slash YouTuber is a purveyor of pretty visuals, pretty places and pretty clothes. Her videos have this air of calmness to them that I am yet to find a worthy contender. She’s like your cool older sister who lives in a wonderful house, working the coolest job ever in fashion, giving you video updates of her road trips around the States and surf sesh in the evenings. With her recent videos being shorter (5-10 minutes), it’s great to watch when you’re taking short breaks in between your readings.
Find Rachel’s channel here.
Deemd
I don’t know if her channel would qualify as ASMR, but she definitely does not talk in them and all you can hear are the background noises of the things she’s doing from cooking to taking the train to study. Something about the stillness and lack of talking in her vlogs makes me feel calm – it just gives me the ultimate ‘no thoughts, head empty’ moment ever because I don’t have to process what she’s saying. When I’m having anxiety and my brain feels like it’s going a mile a minute, it’s nice to just… not think but simply consume the footage of her lunches and aesthetically pleasing notes.
Find Deemd’s channel here.
One Meal a Day
Now, this is definitely ASMR content (and a delicious one too, might I say). The crunchy sounds of spring onions, eggs cracking on a pan and kitchen appliances whizzing are enough to suck me into their cooking videos. They also give me another major ‘no thoughts, head empty’ moment which is great for when I need to be pulled away from overthinking. Besides, their easy recipes could inspire your next trip to the grocery store, giving you all the more reasons to take a breather and do something else before your brain melts like warm goo.
Find One Meal a Day’s channel here.
So that’s a wrap on today’s recommendations of my favourite YouTube channels to watch when I need to summon a wave of calmness over me. Remember that it’s okay to pull away from the things that are making you anxious to gather yourself first. If you need someone to talk to, the Counselling Service is there.