Hello World.
Take a deep breath firstly. (No, seriously do it. I'm waiting.)
When you listen to this audio clip below, what is the first thing which comes to your mind?(PS- Listen to the first 30 seconds and comeback 🤦🏽♀️)
George Michael- Careless Whisper
( if the audio isn't playing on clicking the name here is the link- https://soundcloud.com/gmzfdnn/george-michael-careless )
If the meme template was the first thing which came in your mind, don't worry, I had the same thought initially too :) Then your mind shifts to the fact that this is the perfect song to be played at a wedding, a restaurant or a posh hotel. After doing some research from my end, I found out that music affects the parts of the brain which is also affected while eating food or learning a new language. Now imagine the happiness you get when you eat your favorite food. Yum right? :) Now if you were to go to a restaurant and eat it, and the restaurant plays a slow tempo music like the one above, chances are that you will end up spending more time and money and not even feel bad about it! If you're a miser, why would you want to go to a restaurant in the first place? ( for my little layman cuties- a miser is the kind of person who has a lot of money but shows unwillingness to spend or rarely spends.)
I tested this music theory myself. No, I didn't go and blow money at places. I played different music at different times of the day with different scenarios in my mind. (If I get to make this interesting enough I'll add some stimulating scenarios in the end.) To be very honest, there is an old English song for every mood. If you're feeling burdened by expectations, tune into Linkin Park's Numb or Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall. If you're heartbroken or just sad about not having anyone by your side ( remember it is normal to feel this way) Aerosmith's Angel or Queen's Love of My Life will give you just the edge to cry it out. If you're feeling like a rebel pro ultra max, Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit or AC/DC's You Shook Me All Night will get you full crazy. Somehow Eagle's Hotel California and John Denver's Country Roads fit right into almost any mood. I have many playlists which I play when I'm feeling something and I feel the need to amplify it.
Sometimes if listening to a song makes you cry rivers over that person, do it .Get it out already!
Well enough about music already!
In my previous post I mentioned my fascination around the usage of external stimulus such as intellectually and aesthetically appealing situations or imaginations which can help stimulate our minds to derive a higher sense of pleasure. Basically if I were to break it down into an example it is similar to touching a mimosa plant's leaves. Here, your brain is the leaf. By the way, examples only help us understand anything if we have been paying attention to the concept:)
I found reading scenarios or making them up in your mind can actually make your brain act to situations differently. At times, I found similar themed dreams occurring to me or my mood changing drastically. Whatever it is, it makes you more imaginative and creative and sometimes its so amusing and fun that I don't realize how much time has gone by.
Now the question which pops up is, What is even remotely fascinating about this?
Well, just think about it. Why does a small fight with the person you like ruin your entire day, or that inspiring biography you read made you so happy and optimistic on life that you suddenly began doing work which was pending for weeks and began reaching your short term goals more effectively? How you somehow discovered a really dope song and now have been playing it on loop since hours? Isn't it amusing how things 'are' and 'are not' in your control? Now imagine this scenario really carefully. Take your time doing this, imagine every minute detail and make sure to constantly remember how each detail feels.
You're sitting on the sofa by the fire in a posh room in a penthouse of a highly elegant and luxurious hotel with a glass of red wine between your cold fingers at night. The railings of the French Windows are casting shadows on you as the moonlight falls on it. You look out into the world outside, the tall skyscrapers with their lights on look adorable as the nightlife goes on. You decide to take a stroll by the swimming pool and wear the most comfortable silk PJs you ever had and carry that glass of wine to the pool. The ground beneath your feet is cold. You slowly begin walking, each time pressing your feet gently into the ground. You walk parallel to the water with some really romantic or soothing music playing on that shuffle playlist. After feeling calm, you decide to walk your way back to your room. You go and have yourself a warm bubble bath/cold shower. You get into comfortable clothes. You put on some music and sway your body in happiness as you cook yourself your favorite dinner and sit on the table having to have your meal, feeling happy and content. You slip into bed cozying up to that giant teddy bear or the fluffy pillow.
Now wasn't that nice? Try imagining doing all that with your significant other if you're craving some companionship. Do it alone if you're more of the independent ' I don't need anyone' types right now. Now imagine when you were walking and I would have told you to think that the music playing was a really depressing one, or the craziest psychedelic music you had ever heard. Imagine everything that could have gone wrong. Now forget it, imagine the nice scenario I gave you originally and stay happy:) You can come up with tons of similar scenarios. Reading novels comes handy in such situations, so listen when your elders tell you to read good quality books or end up like Little Billy who is devoid of all creative juices flowing at all and cannot write a heartfelt speech without his parents helping him write one.
Maybe this isn't entirely Nutcase thinking. Maybe you can do this too. Maybe try texting the people who matter to you how much they mean to you. No I'm not talking about stupid generic messages like ''I love you so much please don't ever leave me." That is by far, the most dry appreciation text I have ever seen. How about something more personalized? I send wholesome memes and random appreciations to people.
My driving point perhaps is, how easily our mind is susceptible to stimulus or manipulation. This kind of manipulation can greatly affect how you function. Our brain is truly a beautiful creation, naïve and smart at the same time. Now imagine if you forced positive stimulus upon yourself. Now this isn't feasible all the time in reality of course, because reality isn't what you conjure up in you mind, but how you react in those little scenarios can affect how you behave in reality. And when you come to think about it, what if one of your fantasies do become real and you end up in your own small universe?:)
I've been itching to write on this since such a long time and I'm glad I finally did it. Well I think this entry of mine isn't entirely nutcase but okay.
Here's a quote to end it for this day-
"You only live once."
