Music helps me set the tone for my day.
I tend to wake up on the wrong side of the bed 9 times out 10. I’m not the naturally optimistic type, and I’ll admit I really have to give myself a pep talk most mornings to get motivated to greet the day. It takes me some time to get into a positive mindset. One of the first things I do when I wake up is make some warm lemon water, claw my way over to my computer, and turn on some music. My husband knows that for the first hour of the day, he is not allowed to ask me any questions.
Or else.
Thankfully (for him! haha), I’ve figured out the best trick to getting my groggy bummer of a mind back in the right space more quickly:
I listen to music that makes me happy.
(I know, I’m such a genius. No one has ever thought of this before.)
But in all seriousness, sadness/anger/any negative emotion loves company. When I’m in a shitty mood, my first impulse is actually to feed that. I LOVE depressing emo music. The slower and more Bon Iver-y, the better.
…Except not.
You have to be mindful of the music you’re listening to, and why.
When you’re trying to pick out a book to read, you mull it over. You read the back cover, maybe a couple reviews, a page or two… It’s essentially like you’re deciding whether or not to start a relationship with that particular book and its contents.
Same goes for movies/tv shows, even blogs like this one. We tend to be picky about what we give our focus.
But we don’t pay near as close attention to the music we listen to.
Many of us decide we like a song pretty much within the first few seconds of listening to it. Usually it has a groovy beat, a sick drop, a certain sound that turns our brain on. But are you actually paying attention to the lyrics?
The problem with music is that we often use it as background noise.
Music can keep us company while we work or chill at home. But even though you’re not actively paying attention to all the lyrics, your subconscious is crouched in the back of your brain listening attentively and scribbling down notes.
A paper published by the University of Pennsylvania found “that lyrics have the potential to increase […] well-being, positive emotions and meaning.” Listen to a positive, encouraging song like “We Found Love” by Calvin Harris + Rihanna, and you transfer that feeling of hope and love into your subconscious.
But if a song is in the background and the lyrics are all hopeless and despairing… well, it’s kind of impossible to feel any semblance of pep around that.
I actually caught myself last week in a bad funk. I was exhausted and trying to rally some energy to work, but I was feeling sad. So I naturally turned on some of my favorite mellow songs that are, let’s face it, depressing. I didn’t feel much better.
So instead, I started playing one of my spin playlists, and the upbeat vibe snapped me out of that negative headspace. So yeah, listening to happy music just makes more sense.
Let me be clear – I’m not telling you to stop listening to music you love.
Like, I’ve had “Look What You Made Me Do” on repeat for over a month now. It’s perfect when I just need to VENT.
But I’m also aware that, like, Taylor Swift maybe isn’t the ideal model for finding lasting peace and happiness? Girl has a lot of enemies.
I also love profanity (clearly, if you read the blog) and aggressive songs. Oh man, they’re the best to spin to. And that emo music — Death Cab For Cutie will also always be one of my favorite bands.
The trick is to become conscious about what you’re listening to.
Positive or negative, listen to your music of choice with purpose. And if you’re in a bad place, maybe DON’T feed that negativity with lyrics that make you sob even harder?
Music totally sets the mood, and you probably want the mood to be UP.
I recommend listening to a playlist of your all-time favorite songs. I could listen to Lady Gaga all day, every day because her songs just fill me with LIFE.
I also have a perfect uplifting playlist ready just to go just in case you need a mood boost like, NOW.
It’s literally the happiest fucking playlist in existence.
(If I do say so myself)
It’s a lot of oldies/goodies and upbeat tempos and positive messages. Seriously, every time I’m feeling down, I just start playing my “Best Day Ever” Spotify playlist and I’m instantly taken out of that dark space. It’s kind of hard not to dance a little, and dancing = total joy.
If I’m being honest, I’m definitely listening to this playlist as I write this post and swaying back and forth as I type. #standingdeskperks