Guest Post--Music To Get You Motivated

 

Image courtesy of jambase.com

 

Music is a universal experience. We clap our hands and sing songs in grade school to make music and are slowly introduced to more and more bands as we grow older. It affects how we feel, choices we make and people we meet. Beyond that it can enhance the way we experience any number of things. Music is a very powerful thing.  

 

How Music Affects The Brain

 

Music literally engages our body’s sympathetic nervous system --the same system responsible for getting us ready for a challenge in our environment. It has the ability to make us feel as though we are the most powerful person on the face of the earth, or the loneliest person in the universe.

 

Electrical activity in the brain helps us to develop perceptual, cognitive and motor processes --which is why it is suggested that even babies in the womb listen to music. The frontal and parietal lobes enhance neural activity on the top of the brain, literally acting as a changeable variable if whatever activity we are participating in.

 

5 Ways Music Can Help You

 

●     Relax and fall asleep at night. Many people have trouble falling asleep at night because they have trouble quieting their thoughts. Music is a great way to distract your brain and drift off into a deep slumber.

 

●     Focus on the task at hand --like studying or concentrating at work. Let’s face it, sometimes outside distractions can leave us looking up at and around the office, chatting with those around us and getting zero actual work done for the day. Music helps you center yourself and motivates you to finish your projects in a more timely manner.  

 

●     Get you excited to complete a workout routine. The patterns in music can affect how much energy a person has. Athletes in certain competitions around the world have been banned from listening to music while they compete because it is said to give them a serious advantage. Listening to music while you exercise will give you the boost you need to complete the entire routine.

 

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●     Cure boredom. Music is a world in and of itself. There are an endless number of solo artists and bands today and new ones emerge every day. If you go searching for new music you could get lost downloading offline or bouncing from one idea of what to listen to in Spotify for hours.

 

●     Share an experience with a loved one. Music can not only give us a sense of having something in common with a friend, significant other or family member --but our hearts actually slow down and speed up according to how fast the tune of the music is. This literally means your heart is beating in time with the person you’re sharing a music experience with.

 

●     Experience culture. There is more published (and unpublished) music in the world than we even have time to listen to. Cultures from all over the world have their own styles and distinct sounds. More than that, music can help you meet new friends with similar taste or create a deeper connection by understanding the kind of music they listen to.

 

Adding music to every aspect of your life a great way to get motivated for all the things you need to accomplish. You brain and music paired together have the ability to give you the energy you need when you’re feeling slugging or keep you level-headed when you are feeling down. 

 

 

 

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer in the Los Angeles area who currently works with Arena, a music streaming company. Though her background is in marketing, she writes on everything from health & wellness, music, gaming, and technology.