Need a Change of Scenery During COVID? Ambient Videos Might Help.
One of my favorite things to do pre COVID-19 was to take my laptop to the coffeeshop and sit for a few hours. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery and for me, coffeeshops can give that extra boost of stimulation I sometimes need to get out of my own head or to sit there and focus on something I need to get done on the computer. The last time I went to Starbucks was about a week and a half before all of the major shut downs started and I remember when I walked in there was a sign on the door saying that as a way to try to not spread COVID-19, they wouldn’t be using reusable cups anymore for the time being. It was one of the first moments that I saw daily life starting to tangibly change. That day in early March was actually the last day that I left the house for a non-essential reason. After I started social distancing, I discovered the beautiful and relaxing world of ambient videos on YouTube.
What are ambient videos? I’m not sure if there’s even a specific term for them, but I see a lot of them titled that way so that’s what I’m going with. To understand what an ambient video is without watching one, think of those sleep sound machines that play rain noises or other relaxing sounds. It’s those sounds combined with a video of relaxing place, such as a chill looking coffeeshop or a cozy cabin. I’ve found that putting one of these videos on in the background while I work on other things improves my mood during this time of staying home. It might not be the same as “real life”, but I find that it helps when I’m wishing I could have a change of scenery.
There are TONS of these videos on YouTube. These are my favorites that I’ve come across so far:
This is my favorite coffeeshop one I’ve found. I love the little details like the hanging plants/lights swaying in the breeze, the steam coming from the mug, and the cars and people going by.
This next one is a cozy van. To those unfamiliar with #vanlife or Airstreams or campers, it might sound odd but if you watch it you’ll get the appeal. John and I own a small camper and have spent many rainy nights inside of it playing board games or watching movies. And the rain falling on the roof sounds EXACTLY like this. It’s peak cozy. Enjoy.
This is my other favorite coffeeshop video. This one is a bit different than the other one because it has soft jazz music in the background as well as more muffled chatter in the background. What do you think about the ones with inaudible talking? Do you think it’s weird? I don’t mind it. I think it’s similar to having the TV on for background noise.
Ok, now for a non-rain one. This is a recorded-live view from a window overlooking downtown Los Angeles at dusk. You hear the normal city sounds and over the course of the hour long video the sun begins to set. You can find videos like this of all kinds of different cities all over the world. Fun fact, I was trying to find a NYC one for this post and came across a cool street level one there. Within the first 20 seconds someone had screamed out a cuss word. Classic New York. So I decided to use this LA one from a window high above the street instead. :)
This next one actually kind of looks like my own view outside right now. As I write from bed, I have my blinds open and snow is falling steadily outside. It’s actually pretty cozy. Classic Colorado in the springtime. The main difference is that instead of that cute wood burning chimney thing, I have a space heater going and my cat can’t come sit in the room with me because my dog is trying to play with him. I love that they added a cat lazing around to this one!
The last one I’ll share is a train ride one. I love that people have thought to create this (and there are several others online similar to this). I’ve never even been on an overnight train but for some reason, when I’ve been trying to fall asleep before, I have imagined that I’m on one. So this is lovely.
If you like this kind of thing, there are so many more videos like this on YouTube! They have ones that replicate the sounds of the ocean or even a swamp as well. There’s also several fantasy ones-like ancient Roman baths or a starship flying through space! If you love Harry Potter, I’ve noticed that there’s a ton of Harry Potter themed ones too.
It’s a fun little world to dive into and while I think these videos are especially helpful during this unique time of isolation, I know I’ll be watching them after things go back to “normal” when I’m wanting to relax or needing background noise. If you found this helpful, please share this post! And also go follow the YouTube channels that created these videos-it no doubt takes a lot of effort to create videos like this.
-Emily