Amy Says Relax

I'm a wonderer. No not a wanderer, a "wonderer". I'm practiced in the art of day-dreaming, and I tend to get lost in my thoughts. I think this might be why people think I'm quiet - this is not the case, really. I'm just a heavy thinker, and an observer. Anyways, because of this quality, I have a hard time relaxing my mind.

I can remember an old psychology professor I had - whose name made him sound more like a magician than a Dr. - telling us about relaxation and meditation. He said it's really something you have to work at. Practicing meditation always sounded like too much work for me. About 5 seconds into a breathing exercise, I found myself thinking, oh, wait, what am I doing? Fuck this I think I lost count.

So basically, for my sanity, I have had to come up with another way to clear my mind. That, my friends, is listening to music. Duh.

I usually pick a song that's a little weird. You would think I would go for easy listening, but I actually need something a little punchier. Think: The Flaming Lips, "Are You a Hypnotist?", or The Disco Biscuits, "Home Again"...



With headphones on, of course, just listen, really listen to everything that's going on in songs like these. Meandering melodies, electronic/synthetic layers of sound, ethereal vocals. If you take the few moments to give credit to every sound in the song, you might just find some peace.

At least, that's what works for me.