Music is My Daily Vitamin

Even as a drama-filled 16-year-old, I enjoyed the early morning hours. As soon as the alarm went off, I was switching on my favorite radio station, blasting through the channels until I found a commercial-less sound coming through.

Once that was accomplished, it was off to start my routine. Shower singing. Outfit picking. Breakfast eating. Bag packing. All while, the music is playing and it’s another successful morning in the books.

Fast forward to today, as a 29-year-old attempting to juggle careers and parenthood, I should be exhausted but I wake up each morning with a smile and I say “Alexa, play Jack Johnson radio.”

“Music can release dopamine in two main places in the brain, the dorsal and ventral striatum. When you are having a pleasurable experience, such as listening to your favorite song, these areas of the brain light up” according to the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media.

As the science shows, listening to music can have an immediate impact on our mental health.

When I start listening to music, my energy shifts almost instantaneously. I feel calm and focused which is the perfect way to start every morning.

Another benefit to incorporating music within my daily routines is taking a dreaded task, such as washing the dishes, and turning it into a joyful experience that I look forward to.

Of course, my routines and goals have shifted throughout my life but music has remained a constant. Music has always been there for me, through the good, bad, the ugly, but most of all, my accomplishments.

I can’t imagine a life without music.

Can you?

Grace by Email

“Dear Professor Smith,

I’m at the hospital in labor, is it possible to get an extension on the final paper due next week?

Sincerely,

Morgan”

I sent this email to my community college professor the night I was admitted to the hospital—just a few hours before the doctors delivered my baby in the form of an unplanned C-section. My professor’s response back was something along the lines of “Wow, this is the first “labor” email I’ve received-- forget the paper and we’ll call your current grade, your final. Congratulations.”

My first memorable break as a soon to be parent.

I had an “B” in the class but did I deserve it? Why give me this grace?

Merriam-Webster defines grace as an “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification”.

My professor and I weren’t close, and rarely interacted in the classroom, but she chose to show me grace when I truly needed it.

Because of a few carless actions, I prematurely started parenthood at age 20. Since becoming a mom, I’ve graduated that community college, went on to earn my bachelor’s degree, and just received a dream promotion at age 29.

Life is coming together, piece by piece. My professor’s intentional choice to give me grace in this course, helped me become one step closer to earning my college degree, something I was desperate to accomplish since I saw that plus+ sign on the tiny blue and white stick.

Looking back, if I would have had to retake the course to move forward, my path might look different than it does today.

I’m thankful for the grace my professor gave me, and the grace I’ve received from many others to this day.

Grace for me is God.

More on that later.

What do you mean I can't do it all?

"Where does the time go?" I find myself asking this question out of habit to buy myself some time (ironic, huh?) to think. It's 6:30 in the morning, "finally", I say under my breath as my phone alarm goes off. I've been awake for a while now with thoughts quickly coming and going as I try to remember all that needs to get done before the weekend ahead.

Yikes, "It's Friday?" I think to myself—coming to the realization the work week ends today. I thought I had more time to get my to-do list done: "How am I going to get this all done?".

I can feel my body getting tingly.

My head starts to spin.

My breathing picks up.

And She's on me again. Just as quick as last time.

"Oh my gosh, did you email Jack with the revised outline? That's due today, don't forget."

"Oh! And no peanut butter for Safiya’s' school snack—you forgot last time."

"Did you call grandma this week? Time is not on your side."

"STOP!" I chime in. I intentionally remind myself to pause. I've got this. I've put in the work. "Okay, deep breath. Get back on track." I told myself out loud. I grab my journal on my nightstand, and I start pulling every single worrisome thought and place it on paper.

I learned about brain dumping awhile back in therapy, and to give some reference on what brain dumping is, Medium.com says "Think of your brain dumps like cleaning a room a la Marie Kondo. The first step is piling all the items in a certain category together."

And I couldn't agree more.

A good brain dump has helped me visualize the quantity, and assign weight, to the thoughts that enter my head. I've written things like "I need to eat more vegetables" to deep-dive thoughts like "What is my purpose in life?" Practicing this technique has helped me manage my expectations and learn to make intentional choices as to what needs to be done, what I want to be done, and what could be done with modifications. It's helped me feel more in control of my life, or at least it's helped me identify what is in my control (spoiler: not much). It takes minutes of out of my days and may seem trivial, but it's effective and has me move forward in my life.

So, when I'm feeling stuck, or lost, or anxious, or even hopeful— I breathe. I get my pen and paper out. And I write it down.