Do you ever just want to press the mute button on your brain? Does it feel like a million things are going on around you and your list of tasks just keeps piling up—like finally starting that one overdue assignment? The stress you’re feeling might all be unspoken, but your brain just can’t seem to stop speaking. The desire to disconnect from reality looms as you yearn for a break to give your mind a rest.

Sure you have work to do, but what harm could an hour (or 10) of Netflix really do? Here are five movie and TV show recommendations from Toronto Metropolitan University students to help distract you from your internal storm!

Recommended by Anna Carter, second-year professional communications student

Gilmore Girls revolves around a mother, Lorelai, and her teenage daughter, Rory. The iconic duo, being so close in age, spend the show navigating through life and just trying their best to exist—which, honestly, same! This show is the perfect way to decompress and relive your youth while also processing the uphill battles of adulting. It’s a comfort show no matter what’s going on around you. Instead of leaving your house as the weather gets colder, just lose yourself in this show instead. Live vicariously through this mother-daughter duo’s love for winter because that could not be me.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Recommended by Marion Pollard, third-year graphic communications management student

Are you the oldest child who’s tired of paving the way for your siblings and always being right? Is it exhausting carrying the burden of the entire family on your back? Do you have a bread problem? If your answer is yes, then The Hunger Games movies will heal your soul. All your unspoken familial frustrations are visually represented through this action-packed adaptation. The post-apocalyptic series strikes a perfect balance between your confusing love life and your self-dependent ways. The movies will ensure you can safely disconnect from your regularly scheduled barrage of thoughts. Oh, there’s also a love triangle. What more could you need?

Recommended by Ruth-Ebony Lyttle, fourth-year food and nutrition student

Spirited Away is arguably one of the many iconic films created by the world-famous animation studio, Studio Ghibli. It’s a gentle coming-of-age story riddled with the highs and lows of growing up and taking on responsibilities. If you're overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks you have going on, this movie will help you detach yourself from reality entirely. The film transports you to a beautifully crafted universe where hardships seem weightless and allows you to come face-to-face with the daunting expectations of adulthood. In a nutshell, it reminds you that everything will be alright. When therapy is unaffordable, this movie truly feels like the next best thing.

Recommended by Aaniqa Hemnani, second-year professional communications student

In a world where feelings are often left unsaid, The Amazing Spider-Man motivates viewers to have hard conversations—maybe about why you own a full spandex suit—and enjoy the little moments in life out loud. In particular, this movie __ is the perfect vessel of inspiration to remind you that life is sudden and nothing is guaranteed. It also doesn’t hurt that along with these lessons, Andrew Garfield looks like...Andrew Garfield.

Recommended by Sofia Villar Saucedo, third-year RTA media production student

Grey’s Anatomy is an extremely popular medical drama that has been on the air for 19 seasons. If you’re looking for the ultimate distraction and actively trying to do none of your assignments, this is it! Grey’s Anatomy has something for everybody—absurd medical scenes, love triangles that better represent a tangled ball of yarn and a light dusting of plot holes to finish it all off. When the goal is to ignore real life, the show’s never-ending torrent of twists and turns will always do right by you.