OK, so my workday did not start well. Stressed with all kinds of things running round my head. Trying to get into an essay which is due soon and failing at that dismally. Getting cross with myself for not having better time management skills...oh hang on...I went on holiday...excuse?
Anyway, too much to do and too little time. Things got worse and worse, I got more and more worked up and I ended up with a serious knot in my stomach, a head ache and I just wanted to jump on a plane to anywhere but here! AGH! The thing is, I don't do stressed, so I was even more confused and had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.
A perfectly timed phone call from my wife stopped me in my tracks. What am I doing letting myself get so worked up? What makes me calm and feel less stressed? What is and has always been a reliable tonic to sooth a troubled soul? MUSIC!
*Deep breath and reset*
30 minutes later I am headlong into finishing off an arrangement for the new choir of a beautiful traditional American song, recording voice parts and letting my mind swim in the lovely harmonies. The knot is gone and there is a smile in my brain. The more I immersed myself into the music, the calmer I felt. The calmer I felt..well, you can see the happy cycle developing. I even ventured as far as to do some practice on my new-ish bass guitar. Jackson 5 bass lines never sounded quite like that!
So I arrived at the other end of my workday that started so horrendously, I can now go home for dinner with the family and be completely happy to spend time with those that I love, having achieved not just a tick on the to-do list, but a complete de-stress of my nervous and emotional systems.
Music is a huge part of my life and always has been. Maybe that is why I don't normally do stressed. If you look on the internet you'll find all kinds of research to prove that music is good for blood pressure, stress, sleeping and general mood. (Classic FM is great to have gently in the background at bed time). And if you're happy, everyone else around you has a better chance of being happy too!
So, next time you find yourself in a similar situation to that described at the top of this blog post, and you can't find a soft brick wall to punch, whack in a pair of ear buds and find solace in the healing qualities of relaxing music. Ointment for the soul.
