I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.
Today’s tip is to rediscover your favourite music that really lifts your spirits.
I love music. It’s one reason I resisted the change from iOS to Android. The music experience is just better on iOS. If they had kept the headphone jack, I’d likely still use an iPhone today.
I grew up listening to lots of music and playing some on guitar. I attended lots of concerts before I was 25. My first was Andy Gibb. My second was Kiss. I had varied interests.
Over the years, I get into moods, and will listen to lots of one genre for a period before I change. My wife didn’t love the rap phase, dealt with a Pop phase well, and doesn’t quite love my retro 70s guitar phase now.
When I’ve traveled often for work, I will usually pick an artist and download a few albums to play on the plane. No real plan, but I try to discover, or rediscover, music from someone. I’ve had trips where all I listened to was Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Journey, Common, Kanye, Prince, the Beatles, and others. I sometimes realize I never real heard something in the past and sometimes rediscover a new thing I like.
Spotify is my preferred platform, and I decided to pick something I really liked in the past. For me, there was a year of high school where I really liked Duran Duran. I grabbed a few albums (old and new) and created a playlist. I put this on random and let it play. Alternately tapping my feet, singing along, and really enjoying old tunes, and discovering new ones.
It was a welcome break from current life.