Music Detox

[Gianna]

Has anyone here been on a complete music detox (not listening to music for a long period of time)? I recently noticed that the times where I don't listen to music at all I have a very still mind. Then, when I start to listen to music again, it's like my mind is a broken record player. Just repeating the lyrics to every song day and night. Maddening!!! I'll go to sleep singing a song and wake up singing a song (all in my mind). Does anyone else share this experience? My sister is really bad she just goes around singing in her head and out loud constantly. It. never. stops. But I don't even think she realizes it. 

[Thought Art]

Hmm, good idea. I will try this out on my week coming up. I listen to too much Arcadefire ahah

[hoodrow trillson]

Yes!!!  I’ve actually been thinking about making a thread about this.

I LOVE music but I’m starting to feel like it’s another form of consumption (like YouTube, video games, etc) it’s just a bit more benign.

When I don’t listen to music for a while and then I do, the music is so beautiful and vivid to me.  But every day?  It becomes normal and I get songs stuck in my head all day.  It makes meditation harder for me since I’m trying to stay still and a chorus from a popular song begins playing.

I notice it doesn’t matter what genre it is either, though the catchy pop stuff is more infectious.

[Osaid]

Sometimes when I find songs that are really beautiful, I will purposefully abstain from them out of fear that I get desensitized to them. I only listen to them very sparingly.

I think its reasonable to believe a music detox could work as a dopamine detox and potentially help with focus. I think it is something you can get addicted to, just like watching TV.

[Gianna]

4 minutes ago, hoodrow trillson said:

When I don’t listen to music for a while and then I do, the music is so beautiful and vivid to me

Same!! I won't listen to music for a whileee and then when I do it's like the most beautiful experience most people probably wouldn't even recognize. But if I get stuck in it.. oh man. My mind will repeat it over and over and over again– literally like a broken machine. It's what shows me how mechanical the mind can be. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Gianna

[Gianna]

2 minutes ago, Osaid said:

I will purposefully abstain from them out of fear that I get desensitized to them. I only listen to them very sparingly.

I do this too but with all music– not just with one song. This is the reason why I'll go so long without listening to anything. It's really just out of fear of becoming desensitized to it, and then feel scarcity towards "good songs that I like"  haha 

[Osaid]

19 minutes ago, Gianna said:

I do this too but with all music– not just with one song. This is the reason why I'll go so long without listening to anything. It's really just out of fear of becoming desensitized to it, and then feel scarcity towards "good songs that I like"  haha

I'll have certain songs which aren't as good that I listen to in the mean time lol

[RickyFitts]

Oh yeah, the old earworm - I can definitely relate, drives me up the wall sometimes. I think it's a sort of nervous tic in my case, there's something I'm not wanting to face so my mind will start singing to itself in order to distract itself when it's not engaged in some task. You're right, though, it definitely shows you just how mechanical the mind is.

[Gesundheit2]

Music is evil. Old sages demonized it for a reason.

Just like alcohol, it makes me drunk, and it's addictive.

[sara373]

I like music, I consider binaural beats and mantras music too 

as of late its good to rest the headspace from anything. So it is still as a pond, nothing causing ripples or splashes.

It also develops your trust in self. To just be certain, no doubt about whether the next thought is going to eat your mind or not lol

[EternalForest]

I think you're just using music obsessively.

I set aside about an hour a day to either discover new music or just play a small selection of songs I really love from my sound system, Maybe even go outside and listen to music on the phone while taking a walk, looking at the sky and enjoying myself. 

Then every once in a while I'll schedule a little vacation day to myself to listen through an entire artist's discography, but at the end of that I feel like I just went through a spiritual experience. I also schedule days like this to watch full seasons of shows and movie marathons.

Just don't overdo it and consume several hours of media a day obsessively. Pace yourself.

Doesn't mean you can't listen to a few songs here and there or have some music in the background, but treat it like a dream. Dreaming is nice, but do you want to dream your life away?

[gettoefl]

a technique for more deeply appreciating is

feast for few days fast for few days

this attunes sensitivity to the beauty of what we consume whether it be music, food or any sensual pleasure

this will be good for body mind and spirit

[Gabith]

I listen to music everyday at least 4 hours so I'll give it a try to see the difference... I guess I'm addicted and it will be difficult! I didn't think about music being like TV or a divertissment but it is, when you think about it ! It's a distraction... 

 

Maybe a week. I guess that listening to one of my favorite songs after 1 week of "silence" will be quite intense ! 

 

[Gianna]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:22 PM, RickyFitts said:

there's something I'm not wanting to face so my mind will start singing to itself in order to distract itself when it's not engaged in some task.

VERY interesting! I suspect the same thing in myself. Especially after listening to Leo's video on self-deception. I feel the classic earworm– as you call it hehe– is very deceptive. 

[Gianna]

On 7/30/2021 at 8:02 PM, Gesundheit2 said:

Just like alcohol, it makes me drunk, and it's addictive.

haha I agree with this. But only after I go through a music detox will music have this effect on me. 

On 7/31/2021 at 5:15 AM, Gabith said:

I didn't think about music being like TV or a divertissment but it is, when you think about it ! It's a distraction... 

 

It's very impressive to me that you have this awareness while also being a music fien. please let us know your results/later thoughts on this! 
 

On 7/31/2021 at 0:35 AM, sara373 said:

So it is still as a pond, nothing causing ripples or splashes

music definitely causes ripples. I love this metaphor.

 

On 7/31/2021 at 0:52 AM, EternalForest said:

treat it like a dream. Dreaming is nice, but do you want to dream your life away?

thank you for sharing your experience! And great advice, scheduling days for media is very proactive and responsible. I think this is a great idea. Also, what an interesting question to ponder over. Would you want to dream your life away? Life is a dream. Seems like no matter what we do, we are dreaming. 

On 7/31/2021 at 4:25 AM, gettoefl said:

feast for few days fast for few days

this is how I approach most things in life– music, eating, friends, even family.

[Nos7algiK]

I asked my partner @Justine about this question. She doesn't normally go to this forum, but maybe she will to answer more on what I'm about to say.

To add context: She was a Muslim for around fives years of her life prior to us meeting when she was with her ex-husband. In that religion music was considered haram, or something that is forbidden, and she was a well mannered devote to the practice,

She told me that it made life really boring at first and it was almost like everything else in life started to lose it's magic. Though, this could have been partially due to the totality of the religion itself and not just the lack of music, but the later played a big part.

I asked her if she would still get songs in her head. She told me no, all the songs eventually vanished in her mind. But, they were instead replaced with reciting lines from the Quran in her own head.

Due to how that religion sees music she made sure to avoid places that would have music, such as a store she would just leave. She would eat at Muslim owned restaurants and if they were playing music she would inform them it was haram and they would turn it off so she could eat there. She had no desire to listen to the music due to the demonization of it.

Eventually, life became very content. Boredom without the bored. But, not content in a healthy manner, more content in a desensitized way. Hollow and apathetic.

Towards the end she realized she was in a horrible relationship in a religion she felt was built to trap others within it. She eventually "freed" herself from the religion and she told me music was then incredible, like an eargasm, when she finally went back to it. She had a new found appreciation for the music itself and has never thought of removing it from her life again.

In my opinion, though this may give you some insight on what happens when someone has a music detox. It's not fully accurate due to the rest of the mannerism and practices that affected her mental health while she avoid music. Getting songs in her head was still replaced with other forms of "words" still stuck in her mind. So I'm uncertain what would happen who did this outside of religion.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Nos7algiK

[lambofgod182]

I've found soundscapes (forest sounds, stream sounds etc) can be a stop gap if you ever have trouble weening yourself off music. I find they satisfy the desire for pleasant sounds but don't stick in your head like songs. I once did a long stint of months without but when I listened again, it was so beautiful and captivating that you naturally want to listen to more  

[Gianna]

@Nos7algiK Wow, incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. This helps me a ton with my research on the topic. 

@lambofgod182 ooo great strategy! I found this to work with chakra clearing sounds, bells, chimes, too. Didn't realize why I was doing it though. Now I do!! thanks for sharing! 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Gianna

[Nos7algiK]

8 minutes ago, Gianna said:

@Nos7algiK Wow, incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. This helps me a ton with my research on the topic. 

No problem, happy to help.  

[Goldzilla]

I tried music detox, turned bad for me. Also to mention that i'm a singer.