STRESS IS ALL AROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected each of us differently, and we all handle stress in our own ways. But there is no question that at this unprecedented moment in the world, there are major shifts in how we live daily life and immense challenges to how we usually manage stress.
I was reminded of the significant impact of stress yesterday, when I attended Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds at Harvard Medical School (virtually, of course). Cardiologist Dr. Ahmed Tawakol shared his research and presented more than 20 years of findings related to the influence of chronic stress on health. Dr. Tawakol showed us evidence clearly indicating that stress can both precipitate and aggravate many diseases, including many life-threatening conditions, like cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as colds and multiple viruses. He also cited studies of stress management strategies that significantly reduce the risk of contracting these conditions. It is very good news that managing your stress can actually counteract harmful effects and keep you healthier.
YOUR PERSONAL AFFIRMATION
If you have been reading these posts, I hope you see that there are many ways to reduce stress through music. In addition to bringing peace and power to your life, music is also capable of focusing your attention on something meaningful and important to you. In this way, it can effectively interrupt the flow of negative thoughts, worries, or dysfunctional patterns of thinking. When you can’t seem to stop thinking about your fear of the virus, personal losses, or concerns about your future, here is a way to disrupt spiraling into pessimism and send your thoughts whirling into optimism.
Perhaps you have an affirmation, a chant, a prayer, a blessing, or a line of poetry that reminds you of your best attributes or values. Maybe there is a word or phrase that brings to mind a positive intention or hopeful image. What message do you need to hear to set your inner compass to “center” and feel more balanced?
Consider these statements for one’s self that might resonate with you:
* “I can make it through this”
* “I can hold it together”
* “I can learn something about what is important”
* “Through adversity comes ability”
* “My door is closed, but my heart is open”
* “Peace begins with me”
* “I can’t change these conditions, but I can change my perceptions”
* “I don’t like it, but I can do it”
* “I am capable of tolerating this”
* “I can find my inner strength”
* “Here is a chance to show who I am”
* “I see how much I care about others”
* “This too will pass”
* “Don’t worry, be happy”
Maybe there is a song lyric that you love, for example, ”Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water,” or some single words you might relate to, for instance:
* Peace * Hope
* Love * Now
* Open * Acceptance
Find the words that really speak to you right now. Can you be compassionate with yourself and truly take in this positive message? It has to be something that you really believe for it to work.
YOUR PERSONAL JINGLE
Surely you are familiar with jingles – those catchy tunes that tend to get stuck in your head. I’ll bet you recall some that are designed by the advertising industry to sell you a product or service. But you can take back this ability of music to infuse your thinking with a message and use it for personal good.
Set your self-statement or word to a simple melody. Here are some ways to find that music:
* Use the natural inflection of your statement and exaggerate it a bit to guide the melody.
* Think of a catchy tune and fit your words to its contour.
* Select a musical theme from a favorite song and use it to accompany your words.
* Play around and improvise music to suit your statement.
* If you don’t want to sing, chant the word or statement in a way that feels right.
I suggest closing your eyes so that you can go inward to take in the impact of your jingle. Repeat the jingle several times until you create the sounds that accentuate your message in your own way. When you find yourself in a state of worry or confusion, sing or chant your jingle and notice how you feel.
Tara Brach, the author of Radical Acceptance speaks of how our thoughts can all too quickly manifest into despair. Creating a personal jingle is one approach to radical acceptance that can help us realign our thinking, remind us of what we need in this time of need, and reinforce the best part of ourselves. And that may very well get us all through this chaotic time.
Listen to some jingles created by my Berklee Online students. You will see that you don’t have to have an operatic voice to compose and sing a jingle.
To learn more about this approach to positive thinking through music, see my chapter on cognitive-behavioral music therapy in Barbara Wheeler’s Music Therapy Handbook :
