The Playlist Prescription

THE DOCTOR IS IN!!

During the holidays, it’s imperative to ramp up your energy practices. Whether you take that physically or metaphysically, music can support you either way! 

People can be a little extra sensitive during this time of year and it can be a time where many of us spend more time with people who might trigger us. 

That’s just the way it is! It’s totally fine to be affected by the people around you. 

But, if you can anticipate the way the people around you might affect you, then you can make a plan!

Never underestimate the power of a good strategy!

And never underestimate the power of music!

And… NEVER underestimate…. 

Just kidding. 

NOT kidding!...

…INTENTION!
Intention is so important.

SO: Strategy. Music. Intention. 

YEAH! Those are our main actors.

All leading us to today’s point: playlists!!

I am implying you to create a playlist for yourself for the holidays.

This playlist will be comprised of two main halves. 

One half will be emotions that you need to express.

The other half will be emotions that you’d like to embody. 

This way, we are “BUILDING the candle at both ends.” We are addressing and soothing the negative emotions while simultaneously improving and expanding the positive emotions. 

For me, for example, my holiday prescription playlist is mainly comprised of Spanish or Cuban Salsa and, oppositely, gritty/edgy rock. These two genres activate opposite parts of my energy in order to keep me in balance: the salsa leaning genre encourages me to relax and enjoy life while the rock encourages me to express and embody my frustration, which I’m otherwise unlikely to do– which is denial, which is unhealthy. 

So this looks like Lucinda Williams right next to Buena Vista Social Club.

Tell me what your holiday prescription playlists are! Send them to meee, please and thank youuu!

ALL THE FEELS

“If I felt all of my feelings as deeply as I can feel them sometimes, if I felt them all of the time, I couldn't get out of bed and live my life as a human. I could do pretty well as, like, a slug or a snail. I could just sit there all day and think about how sad things are or how lovely things are and how happy things are.I could just be so consumed by the emotion of it all. And that's the child, that's the musician, the creator. All of that that's in there. Sometimes you do have to just say, okay, no, you're gone for now. I have to be the robot. I have to get up today and I have to go to work and not think about… everything.” - Caoimhe Byrne* 

How many of us have felt this?

ESPECIALLY these days when we know details of things happening around the world but we must go on with the mundane daily activities, the cognitive dissonance is at an all-time high. It’s such a blessing that self-help information is so widely available these days. In a way, the anxiety that our phones bring into our lives is also solved by the information we get from our phone. (In many cases, and obviously speaking for myself). The problem and the solution are the same. 

You might begin to notice examples of this in your own life now that you’re more aware of it. 

The problem is the solution. 

It’s the circle of life. 

The circle of idiots. 

The circle of humanity.

What a RIDE!!

“So, WHAT?” - You say??

So, forgive yourself and everyone instantly and be an active participant in your happiness! Don’t guilt-trip yourself for having a hard time coping with modern life, we all are. Probably most people have always, in their own way. 

No matter how long you spend coping with life, know that life is always waiting for you on the other side. The very nature of being human is insane! To be aware of this insane human experience is even more wild. 

Never shame yourself for feeling anxiety. 

Learn to let go of that shit faster and faster!

And of COURSE: let music help you! Writing or listening. So many ways to let music “suck the poison out of the snake bite.” (Taylor Swift quote)

*Check out the Self-Help Songwriter Podcast episode where Caoimhe said this!!