Old Sitcoms: A Great Stress Buster

We're all under so much stress these days that it can get overwhelming. We all know that laughter is one of the best stress relievers there is. That's why I love old sitcoms! I have become a TV Land and Nick at Nite addict. And luckily there are other channels that show old shows too. I used to watch reality tv shows until I couldn't stand the drama of it all. They also became rather idiotic, in my opinion. I also watched the popular "crime shows" (I don't quite know what else to call them) until I got sick of seeing car chases, blood and guts, and depressing stories.

I used to watch Nancy Grace and followed every story avidly. One day I just couldn't stand hearing one more horrifying story. It just got to be too much. I wandered across TV Land one night. The Nanny was on and for some reason I got sucked into it. I say that, because when The Nanny was originally on, when it was new, I never watched it. To be honest, I found her voice totally annoying. Now, I find it comforting. Quite a surprise, I know!

I think one of the major attractions is that I can relax while I'm watching these shows. I know nothing horrible is going to happen and that it's just relaxing humor. Even the corny ones are refreshingly funny at times. I'm discovering all kinds of shows that I didn't have any interest in years ago, maybe because I wasn't as stressed out.

I leave the tv on while I'm going to sleep (I put in on a timer, so it doesn't stay on all night) and it's comforting to just listen to one of these shows as I drift off. I think that the newer sitcoms are not as clever or funny as the old ones. Maybe I'm just getting old, but some of the newer shows are just ridiculous and actually more corny than the old ones. That's just my opinion, of course, but for me the old sitcoms are gems in their own way.

All I know is that anything that helps me feel relaxed and less stressed is a treasure. And the laughs I get are great medicine. So if you're stressed out, turn off the news, crime shows, reality shows and tune into an old sitcom. You might be amazed at the good feelings it brings.

• Some of my favorites:
• The Nanny
• George Lopez
• That '70s Show
• Cheers
• Becker
• Golden Girls
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• Seinfeld
• The King of Queens
• Home Improvement
• According to Jim

What are some of your favorites?