If you’re a person who spends any sort of significant time online, you’ve probably heard someone in your life say something like “those are just online friends, they aren’t real friends”. But now we’re all stuck at home and social media friends are our ONLY friends so those naysayers can suck it!
Seriously though, going through a long period of time with no physical interaction or human touch can be very trying for people. I myself am “isolating” with four other human beings so that’s not the problem I currently have, but for those of you actually isolating in isolation I imagine it’s a real struggle.
Something that I have found useful in periods of loneliness has been Personal Attention ASMR videos. When done well, they give me the tingle that comes from having a friends play with your hair or paint your fingernails. There’s just something about a personal attention video that can make me feel less physically alone even when I’m by myself. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, stick around as I introduce a few of my best friends who don’t know that I exist.
ALB in Whisperland
ALB in Whisperland was my first best friend in ASMRland. Her personal attention feels very real and friendly. She does a fantastic job of leaving all the questions she asks me open-ended enough that my brain can pretend I’m truly having a conversation with her. One of the first ASMR videos I ever really got into was the Whisperland Survey video linked above. Her voice is so soft and kind, she is simply a joy to spend time with and I didn’t mind at all that a telemarketer was wasting my time 😉
ALB is an artist as well as an ASMRtist, and her artwork often makes an appearance on her channel. You can watch her draw her favourite Pokemon or Animal Crossing characters, or sit as a model and let her draw you. She has lovely hair videos where she plays with a friend’s hair, or does her own. Basically, if you are looking for a new best friend for social distancing times, ALB in Whisperland is your girl.
Rappeler ASMR
For something completely different in an ASMR experience, check out Rappeler ASMR‘s channel. She provides a different sort of creative personal attention in her videos. My favourite videos of her’s are the ones where she creates incredibly elaborate crafts to use, often embedding the microphone inside of the craft to create a unique audio experience. In the video pictured above, Rappeler uses her skills to help quiet your racing mind by removing your brain and cleansing your head. Have you been overthinking everything these days? Why not let Rappeler take out your brain for you 😅
My Korean isn’t nearly good enough to understand what is she is saying in her unsubbed videos, but I gather that Rappeler got into ASMR as a way to help deal with her own depression. In the process, she has found a way to help others feel less alone and more cared for when they need it. Her creativity is astounding to me. I’ve watched a lot of ear-cleaning videos in my day, and her ear clinic video was the first one that was so interesting I just couldn’t look away. Her crafts, soft voice, and infectious smile combine to make one of my very favourite ASMR channels. I always feel well loved by a good friend when I’m watching her videos.
ASMR Glow
One of my newest ASMR besties is the delightful ASMR Glow. Her personal care videos truly feel like she is just one of your very best friends. She brings you tea, brushes your hair, offers to run you a warm bath and take off if you just want some time alone. Her voice has a lovely accent and is so soft and kind. ASMR Glow does a wonderful job of making eye contact with the watcher, which I find makes the friendship aspect of the video so much more real.
Along with creating great friend care videos, ASMR Glow has some other wonderful role-playing videos on her channel. She’s recently started doing characters from film and mythology which are a lot of fun to watch. If your social distancing hair has gotten out of control, maybe you want to head over to a futuristic space salon for a hair cut and scalp massage before that big interplanetary party you’ve got tonight 💇🏼♀️
UNO ASMR
Maybe one of the things that you’re missing the most right now in these social distancing times is the ability to go out to the bar with your friends. My darling son UNO ASMR has some videos for that. He has a wonderful voice to listen to and if eating sounds are your personal tingle faves, he does those very well too. I would say that ear-cleaning videos are his real area of expertise, but his other videos are lovely fun too.
My boy is soft and shy, but he subs most of his videos for his english-speaking fans which is a definite plus. He isn’t great at maintaining eye contact, but he clearly still enjoys your company. If you’re looking for a buddy to have a beer with, or want to go hit a wine bar with an attentive bartender, maybe check out some of his videos. Be forewarned though, my boy has not yet mastered the concept of his camera being your eyes, so he might try to feed you marshmallows by stuffing them in your eyeball 😂
Latte ASMR
Of all my ASMR friends, Latte is the one who has the most consistently elaborate set designs. My girl regularly creates a full cafe or doctor’s office or spa clinic just so she can give you the full pampering experience. Her level of immersion isn’t quite as good as ALB’s, she often “repeats” your answer back so if you didn’t ask for that type of tea or cookie, it takes you out of the experience a little bit. But her soft voice, caring smiles, and over all level of commitment to her role more than makes up for it.
Most of Latte’s videos are done in English, but she sometimes does the same concepts over in Korean or Japanese if you’d like to get a little language practice with your pampering. If you’re feeling cooped up by being stuck inside all the time, maybe try taking a relaxing trip to an eye clinic, a coffee shop, a tattoo parlor, or a spa. Or if you’re level of stir crazy has really reached peak levels, why not let Latte give you a disguise so she can rescue you from your current torture chamber 🤫
I hope that you find some help to get you through these tough times. While we are all staying indoors to keep safe physically, remember to also take care of yourself mentally and spiritually. If you’ve never tried personal attention ASMR videos before, I really do recommend checking some out. I hope you can find an ASMRtist who’s work you can connect with and find some solace in. If you are an essential worker, thank you for the work that you are doing, and I hope that you are finding ways to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health.
If you have other ASMR channels that you love and think I would enjoy, or another theme of ASMR you’d like me to look into, please drop me a note. I love checking out new work and look forward to hearing your recommendations. For more of my recommendations, I’ve created a Social Distancing ASMR playlist on YouTube, and you can check out my last blog about ASMR over here.
Natalia