I am guilty of occasionally disregarding my own advice. I check the news a little too much some days, and I feel the emotional effects of that decision. So why do I do it, knowing I shouldn't? Sometimes it is less stressful to 'know' than to 'worry'. Yes, science supports that decision. But, we still need to balance our 'need to know' with some acceptance that even if we know, we may be better off knowing a little less often. Check in once per day and see how that feels.
When you feel the need to have some white noise in the house, car, or workplace, instead of going for the news, go for the tunes. You will thank yourself for it afterward.
It is a lot like the feeling you get when you finish a workout. It feels so good. Never have I heard (or experienced myself) a person say they regretted that workout after it was over. It can sometimes be difficult talking yourself into the workout, but once you get into it, and definitely once you finish it, you are glad you did it! Same goes for choosing tunes over news. You won't regret it.
Tunes have mood, and they influence ours when we listen. Going through a break up? Crank some sad break up music for a little while, than switch to the angry head banging music for a bit, then, hopefully soon, transition to the hopeful cheerful mood enhancing music. Right? I have always thought there should a 'breakup' station on Pandora, or several for each stage of grief: sadness, anger, hope. Maybe there is and I just don't know about it. :)
Anyway... we can choose music that enhances our mood for the better. Research has shown that music in general helps us improve our cognition (thinking and awareness), and that mood elevating music can lift our spirits, reduce depressive symptoms, cause us to smile (which activates facial muscles that trigger the production of hormones that further improve mood), and encourage us to sing along (also mood enhancing, even if you are a terrible singer).
Listening to music also eases our stress, increases our pain tolerance, and helps us to feel less anxious overall.
If you exercise while listening to music, it seems to improve your performance and enjoyment. There is an important caveat to this one, however. If you are exercising outdoors, say hiking or running on a trail, listening to music negates some of the benefits of being in nature. Your mood is improved when you are listening to the sounds of nature, which can also sometimes be the sound of silence. So, if you are outdoors, let nature be your music.
So, today's short but important blog suggestion is to reduce the amount of news you digest each day, and replace some of those podcasts or visits to "whereeveryougetyournews.com" with some uplifting tunes. Simple as that. Try it!