Six seasons are just not enough.
You just finished Season 6, Episode 10 of Gossip Girl, the series finale…now what? *SPOILER ALERT* You thought that tear you shed when Serena walked down the staircase to [FINALLY] be wed to Ben was the last of your Gossip Girl induced tears.
Then you realize, you thought wrong. You feel so empty inside knowing there are no more episodes for you to waste hours upon hours watching. You search Netflix endlessly, in denial that you actually finished the entire series. Now what will I watch? Nothing will compare. Maybe Game of Thrones? I hear that’s pretty good. Or maybe Orange is the New Black? But ew…orange is so NOT the new black…wow I really HAVE turned into Blair after 6 seasons of GG.
This kind of warped denial can happen after the completion of any television series (I personally just suffered through Post Gossip Girldepression). As I sat in a post GG daze, scrolling through pictures of Blair and Chuck on Pinterest, still refusing to “replace” Gossip Girl with another addicting Netflix television series, I wondered how I would find the light at the end of the post Netflix series depression. Hopefully, with these 5 steps, you will be on the road to recovery just as quickly as I was:
Step 1 - Denial and Anger: This first step of recovery is normal and much needed. It is okay to deny the reality of the situation. This temporary response carries us through the first wave of pain. Anger also helps make the process of forgetting the TV series a lot easier. Get angry at the terrible ending, get angry that Georgina and Jack Bass seem to end up together as they look cozy in the last scene…find anything and everything to get mad at. STUPID GOSSIP GIRL! WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU HAVE RUFUS BE WITH SARAH PALIN 2.0?! I DON’T NEED THAT KIND OF NONSENSE IN MY LIFE!
Step 2 - Friends and Support: Texts, calls and time spent with friends and family will not only distract you, but will give you an outlet to release any last bits of anger you have. Talk things out with them and even try to find a friend or family member who has also finished the same Netflix series. They will better be able to understand where you’re coming from. But regardless, tell your friends and family what made you angry about your Netflix series, how you felt when the last episode ended, etc. However, keep this kind of talk to a minimum. Once you express and release all of your feelings, move past them and don’t revisit them.
Step 3 - Sleep: Not only is sleep a great distraction, but also being on a regular sleep cycle is crucial for maintaining a stable mood. If you begin dreaming about your Netflix series, don’t fret. This is normal and has nothing to do with a lack of progress in your recovery. Continue finding day-to-day distractions (visiting the on-site locations on the upper east side does not count) and reach out to friends and family for further progress in your recovery.
Step 4 - Distraction: Do whatever you can so that you can be away from Netflix and the sound of your own thoughts. Some ideas are: bungee jumping, sky diving, running a half marathon, eat food, doing an Insanity workout, taking care of a puppy or a small child (for extra distraction on this one, multiply the number of beings), reading a book or swiming in the ocean.
Step 5 – Replacement: You are now ready to replace your ex-Netflix series with a new one. This is a big step, but it's a crucial one. You will never get over your ex-Netflix series unless you move on and start seeing a new series’. Here are some ideas of new series’ to start: Lost, Orange is the New Black, One Tree Hill, Scandal, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Gossip Girl.
With any luck, after these 5 steps, you will be completely over your post Netflix series depression. Hopefully, at this point, you’ve stopped watching and re-watching the last 2 minutes of the last episode (not that I did this or anything…) and are now watching the first 2 minutes of a new series!
