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Using Music and Movies as Coping Skills — In a Way That Actually Works

  • marisaegarcia
  • Nov 17
  • 2 min read

I’m a real person, and I swear this technique works for me. The trick is pretty simple:


Immerse yourself — intentionally — as a distraction.


Movies and music can pull you out of an overwhelming emotional moment and drop you into a different world for a little while. When used mindfully, they act as short-term, grounding distractions. Unlike doom-scrolling on social media—which can turn into 17 hours of numbing out—music and movies give your brain a beginning, middle, and end. They offer structure, narrative, and emotional movement.


Of course, like anything, this strategy can become unhelpful if:

  • You rely on it constantly

  • You choose content that is triggering

  • You use it to avoid responsibilities or emotions long-term


But in the moment—especially when emotions feel uncontrollable or too heavy—immersive media can create just enough space to breathe.



🎬 Movies That Help Me Immerse


These aren’t “feel-good” movies. They’re movies with strong characters, intense acting, and worlds that fully absorb my attention.


For me, the plots are disturbing but not triggering. They draw out emotions like anger, tension, or deep moral outrage—feelings strong enough to interrupt sadness, numbness, shame, or intrusive thoughts. They help me shift emotional gears when I’m stuck in a depressive episode or a heavy grief cycle.


The key here is personal fit: Pick films that capture you, not films that spiral you.


🎵 Versatile Music


These are songs I can scream, cry, or dance to depending on what I need:



These are songs I can scream, cry, or dance to. For me, it's not about the song message-- It's about how I can perform the song and get the energy out of my body. This is good for the drive home or an evening in. It helps with being present in your body, singing as a breathing exercise, and expelling negative energy.


Music becomes:

  • A grounding tool

  • A way to regulate breathing

  • A safe outlet for emotional release

  • A shift in energy you can feel


It’s a reset button that doesn’t require anything except your own voice and body


Coping doesn’t have to be profound to be effective.


Sometimes the best tools are the ones that give your nervous system a break—letting you step out of your own head long enough to calm down, recenter, and return with a clearer mind. Movies and music won’t solve everything, but used intentionally, they can help you move through overwhelming moments with just a little more ease and a little more control.

 
 
 

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