My Everyday Music
- Oct 1, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 9, 2018
By the way, don't you think it is great to have music in every situation at any time and anywhere?! I imagined myself back to the nineteenth century when the interaction with music was limited to a 'live performance'. People only could enjoy the music in a concert hall, bars and other social gathering places, so as not everyone could afford it. I should thank the twenty-first-century technologies that changing the way we engage with music in everyday life. I mean with the existing technology in today's world such as the streaming service and the electronic devices, different styles and genre of music become more accessible and available to many people. People are now actively personalising and integrating music into their daily life by selecting the music they want to listen in different situations. In other words, music is part of your life and my life too :)
As music is important for me, I am so consciously aware of how I use and engage with music. Besides playing the musical instrument, music listening is now something that I couldn't live without, a headphone and music devices are the two things that will always stick with me. So, here I tell you how I use music in a day, from the personal choice of music and the context of music listening.
I usually wake up at 5 am or rise earlier at 3 am to have more time to enjoy the morning and avoid myself of waking up in last minutes and getting ready in a rush (the worst way to start a day!). Besides, the morning is a crucial time for me since it sets up my state of mind for the rest of my day, so I always do positive routines starts from praying, feed my brain with a small reading and build my mood with listening to a music (much better with a cup of tea). I choose vibrant but calm music with a medium tempo that fits with a morning rhythm to present a positive atmosphere into my surroundings. It is also important for me to pick the songs that contain positive lyrics and melody as it has a power to set my day with optimism and confidence before heading to activities. I have kept up with Corinne Bailey Rae and John Mayer over the years and put her smooth voice and his soulful guitar into my ears. So, here are more samples of my morning soundtrack :
Anyway, I guess I am ready to face the world! :)
Nowadays, many people wake up and listen to music as they commute to work especially living in a big city can be both mentally and physically stressful. You know, the awful traffic. But don't worry my dear pals, music will save you from the morning commute effects by lowering your body's stress response and cortisol level (the stress hormone). Since I listen mostly to similar music in the early morning to set a positive mind, I let my ears shuffling new songs from my #Spotify 'Discover Weekly' or 'Release Radar' playlist. Scientifically, listening to a new playlist or put songs on shuffle is linked to the dopamine increase more significant that can boost our mood (we will talk more about this in another post), so instead of complaining about the traffic, I always suggest myself to only focus on the music I listen. Well, it does help me to maintain my mood from the early morning rituals and prepare myself to achieve my daily goals.
Talking about my productivity during the day, I don't put any music when engaging in a deep work like reading and writing as I need to concentrate. I will get easily distracted by the music I hear (especially when it comes to my favourite music) like I pay attention to the bass line or the harmonies or the melody and my fingers are tapping along imagining myself playing the violin every time I listen to classical music. I play the music when I feel stuck and need to find more inspiration so I prefer listening to electronic music mostly from Tom Misch, FKJ, Jordan Rakei, and Odesza. The beat has a power to stimulates my brain to think more creatively, anyway.
Well yeah, the day could be really exhausting so I deserve some relaxation that helps me to wind down and to get into a deep sleep. For me, that is the real issue as I need to get refreshed for tomorrow's activities. By the way, I have been doing some routines before my bed sesh; wearing a fresh lemon or honey face-mask, reading a good book, and listen to calm and slow tunes that sound a bit romantic. Sometimes, I also have an anxiety problem to handle mostly on the nights, so I always put music as a diversion mainly to get relaxed and free my mind from bad thoughts. My personal choice could be classical music, instrumental, or jazzy romance (Diana Krall is the best!) So, this is one of my song-list that mostly played in the night :
I feel the music slow my heart rate and breathing as I feel so relax that makes it a perfect preparation for shuteye. It takes about 45 to 60 minutes for me to enjoy the night by listening to my 'ready-to-sleep' playlist until I dim the light and turn off the music. Well, how I start my morning and end my evening will affect on how I face my day-to-day life as it helps me to achieve more, think clearly and do something that matters, so make it a good one!
God bless your ears and eyes.
Good night, love :)
xx
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