One of many ways to reduce stress is to visit the lighter side of life, laugh a little, and escape.
Here are some of my favorite movies and books that have lifted my spirits. Included are movies I’ve seen recently and other favorites from the past. Melissa and I love to watch movies together. I often choose media to make me laugh or think but avoid violence or sad features, especially after a hard week at work. I do the same with the books I read. I appreciate meaningful books which teach me something. Then I apply what I’ve learned to my life or share the wisdom I’ve gained with my patients, family and friends.
Here are some favorites! We hope you enjoy them as well.
Movies & Shows
- “Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School” featuring John Goodman
- “Danny Collins” featuring Al Pacino
- “Modern Love” series on Amazon Prime
- “A Man Called Ova”
- “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared”
- “The Green Book”
- “Knives Out”
- All the Indiana Jones movies
AARP Also Recommends
- “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
- “Good Liar”
- “Apollo 11”
Oldies But Goodies
- “The Freshman”
- “Midnight Run”
- “Shawshank Redemption”
- “A Fish called Wanda”
Books
- Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
- The Sports Gene by David Epstein
- 1941 by Charles Mann
- People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
- The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
- The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel Levitin
- The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
- Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
- Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson
- New York by Edward Rutherfurd
- The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century by David Laskin
- Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
- All books written by Malcolm Gladwell
To a Long and Healthy Life,
David Bernstein MD
