April Jepson: Music: One of the Best Tactics for Fighting Negative Emotions
June 9, 2023 (Friday) 8:45 p.m.
Every Little Thing by April Jepson
Sometimes I find a song and enjoy it. Hearing it once or twice won’t help. All beats and notes must be memorized. You have to make friends with it. It’s been two days since I started listening to Pentatonix’s “White Winter Hymnal”. I’ve known about this song for a long time, but when I heard it the other day, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I don’t know if overdosing on this song will release that bondage, but I do know that I have to listen to this song until my cravings are gone.
April Jepson
In a conversation with a colleague this morning, my current musical tastes came up. She gave me a very confused look and said: “All day long? Eight hours of the same song?” I chuckled and said, “Yes.” I explained that I would keep listening to this song as long as I needed to until my desire was gone. She said she probably wouldn’t get tired of listening to the same song twice. So if you’re reading this, you either can relate to me, or you absolutely can’t.
As I continued to learn more about my ADHD, I discovered that many of my habits (like having to listen to the same song over and over again for days on end) were actually symptoms. So instead of trying to fight this strange urge, I recognize that it doesn’t hurt to give myself in and just let it happen. If you share a private room with someone, you must wear headphones. Otherwise, colleagues could harm my speakers.
On a different note, I love listening to a cappella music. I find it very attractive that everyone can hear which note to hit. No matter how hard I try to learn harmony, I am not very good at it. My ears hear the lead and my voice follows. I’ve sung harmonies a few times and had to practice them for hours to train my brain. So I am always in awe when I see or hear people who naturally have that talent.
The song I’m listening to is a beautiful a cappella performance. This allows you to experiment with which singers you would like to pair your voice with. For the past day and a half, I must have been practicing harmony without realizing it. Now I suddenly realize that I practiced so loudly that people outside the office might have heard the jam session. But as soon as I typed that sentence, my stage fright was overcome and it didn’t bother me anymore. No one has complained yet, so I’ll continue.
The world is full of negativity and darkness. I’m trying my best not to get depressed. Listening to his favorite music is one of the tactics he uses most to combat negative emotions. Singing along to these tunes aloud amplifies the effect, making the bubbles of good energy almost impenetrable.
If my math is right, by tomorrow I’ll be high-fiving strangers and skipping everywhere.
Albert Leanne April Jepson is a wife, mother, coach, and dream cheerleader. Her column is published every Saturday.
