Mental Healing: My Top 3 Anime to Watch When Depressed and Anxious

Hello all you wonderful people! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything meaningful on here hasn’t it? I’ve been out of a way to type posts because my computer died somewhere around five to six months ago and I had no other way until now.

Anyway! Let’s get into something that I’ve wanted to share with you all for some time.

As most of my readers know (at least to some extent) I struggle with depression and anxiety. I’ve been medicated for it before, and hopefully will be again soon because I’m currently struggling more and more each day with my mental health. Anyway, there’s something special about anime that helps me. I’m not quite sure what it is, but maybe if I think about it I’ll come up with an answer.
Anime has been an escape for me for a long time. When I’m sitting in bed dreading the outside world and overthinking everything and have no energy or drive to do anything at all, I turn to anime. The character developments, the stories, the humor, the serious nature of some shows, the animation and artwork that go into making each episode what they are for the viewers when they’re released. Everything has an impact on me-sometimes it’s a positive impact, sometimes it’s a negative impact-and what I’ve found out about myself is that I almost always go to specific genres when I’m feeling depressed and anxious. Why is that? Maybe it’s being able to relate to certain characters or situations, or events that happen in the story, I’m not quite sure; however, I do know that anime helps me cope with what I’m dealing with in my mind.

So, without any more rambling from me, what are my top 3 anime to watch when I’m feeling depressed or anxious?
1. Haikyuu!!

I love Haikyuu!!…anyone who knows me knows I love this show. The character development, the interactions of the team and their rivals, the storyline, their goals and drive, the humor, and everything about this show just makes me happy. It’s not too serious being a sports anime and having humor to curb whatever goals the characters are striving for, but with how the story has progressed it’s just fun to watch. I forget everything while watching Haikyuu!! and I think that’s part of why it’s gotten to the point where I’ll watch it randomly when I’m having some sort of episode or when I’m realizing that I need to just hear something and watch a cast of characters be themselves.

2. Toradora

Why Toradora? Well, because it’s ridiculous and heartfelt and soul-crushing and funny and…yeah. I’m not actually sure why I watch Toradora when I’m feeling like crap mentally, but I do. It’s hard for me to ever remember much about the show, but the comedy makes me smile and Taiga’s character is just a treat to watch…she really helps me wind down because she’s so serious and ridiculous, but also hurt and sad and everything in between.

3. Angel Beats!

Yep, Angel Beats! I love this show because it’s serious nature is downplayed by it’s comedy. The show has some ridiculous moments, but at its core, Angel Beats is something that is trying to tell a story about what the cast truly cares about, regrets, and wants to overcome. My favorite episode would have to be episode 3, “My Song”…but I’m not 100% sure why. It’s emotional, the music is wonderful (at least to me), and all-in-all the episode resonates with me for some reason. I’m calm while watching episode 3 of Angel Beats and that calmness continues through the rest of the series, even though the stakes of the characters grows bit by bit and they all start to come to terms with their lives in the Purgatory-like space they’re in and what they’d truly want to accomplish before their time is up.
And there you have it! Three anime that help me when I’m feeling down, when I’m not up to doing anything or talking to anyone or I’m unsure about how anything in my life is supposed to be going! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you have any anime that you turn to when you’re in need of some relaxation or calmness or whatever it may be I’d love to know!
Thanks for reading!

Alexie the Great 🙂