avoiding listening to music to protect your mental health

[SnaggleLex]

I have to say that I did not listen to any music for 3 years now (of course, also no experiments with software). Of course, there are radios and youtube videos with music. But I avoided listening to songs (better: tracks) and mixes actively due to my bipolaric disorder with psychotic symptomes.
As I never gave a lot about calm music, I now just ended up in listening to no music at all (and finding inner peace). ...I just learned to quit a dangerous addicitive behaviour with all of its consequences.
So, are there any people out there (also you might have heard of), who got a similar issue? Everyone I meet and tell about it reacts with: "REALLY, no more music??? I would not be able to live like that!!!"

[foosnark]

You do you, I guess.

Music (at least if I don't pick the wrong stuff) is one of the things that calms my anxiety more effectively than anything else. Plus it's pretty much one of my favorite things in the universe.

[Bombadil]

„Life without music would be a mistake.“
- F. Nietzsche

[SnaggleLex]

I noticed something strange: if you stop listening actively for three years, you kind of lose that inner spark for music in general. At least that’s what happened to me. It doesn’t carry me the way it used to when I was younger.

For me, the problem has always been that a lot of modern electronic stuff — especially the 90s things I loved — was tied to manic energy. So I avoided it completely.
But maybe there is a different way back… something more exotic, sample-based, downtempo, chillout-ish. Or even classical music. New shores. I honestly don’t know yet.

It’s just hard to engage with any of it after such a long break.
Still, part of me wonders if there’s some kind of gentle genre that could work as a re-entry without waking the wrong circuits again.

[osiris]

I stopped listening to new stuff. So much is garbage, but I found myself copying/stealing little ideas I liked from songs that Im did like, and I didn't like that.

[jancivil]

At least that’s what happened to me.

glad not to be you

[eLawnMust]

Agreed with osiris on that... If I Know somebody & they do decent stuff, not simple one-finger lullabies coated with a crap-load of FX then I will listen, Don't care what DAW-Sequencer they use or how old it is...

Everybody else I don't waste the time...

So perhaps you are not finding your 'taste'... If it's an ear for better music look to older stuff...

I did a WIP 2 days ago in freeware Protrekkr (Tracker) with loops I created in VirSyn Soft Synth... It's far from complete & no drums as I always do drums last plus much to add will still be also a good minute or more in length...

So you should not listen to it either, but it will be different from others I guarantee-

https://alonetone.com/TalkOrBell/tracks ... mire-(wip)

I make stuff I wanna listen to, don't care about others liking or listening which I think is a good attribute for the present desktop dabbler to acquire...

[CrystalWizard]

I have to say that I did not listen to any music for 3 years now ...
...So, are there any people out there (also you might have heard of), who got a similar issue? Everyone I meet and tell about it reacts with: "REALLY, no more music??? I would not be able to live like that!!!"

I wouldn't be able to live like that.

You do you, I guess.

Music (at least if I don't pick the wrong stuff) is one of the things that calms my anxiety more effectively than anything else. Plus it's pretty much one of my favorite things in the universe.

100% is my favorite thing in the universe.

„Life without music would be a mistake.“
- F. Nietzsche

Yes.

glad not to be you

Same, i can't even imagine it.

Music is my favorite activity of humanity. Music is better for my mental and emotional health than anything i am aware of. Perhaps you need to find music that does this for you, there's a lot of music and sound in the world, a portion of which make me feel sick and a portion of which makes me feel great. It seems that you haven't found the great (for you) portion.

[Constructed Identity]

I noticed something strange: if you stop listening actively for three years, you kind of lose that inner spark for music in general. At least that’s what happened to me. It doesn’t carry me the way it used to when I was younger.

For me, the problem has always been that a lot of modern electronic stuff — especially the 90s things I loved — was tied to manic energy. So I avoided it completely.
But maybe there is a different way back… something more exotic, sample-based, downtempo, chillout-ish. Or even classical music. New shores. I honestly don’t know yet.

It’s just hard to engage with any of it after such a long break.
Still, part of me wonders if there’s some kind of gentle genre that could work as a re-entry without waking the wrong circuits again.

A good alternative to music is non-music. Drone, noise, ASMR stuff can be wonderful for feeling better. Drone ambient is my favorite kind of ambient because it can barely be there and still work to block out distracting noises, and music.

[CrystalWizard]

I'm counting ambient, minimalist,soundscape, film sound as "music". i forgot to mention just listening to sounds like birds, frogs, insects, the wind in the trees, wind chimes, (even highway traffic at a distance), and so much else that is around us. It's probably worth trying out some different music forms like the different stages of western classical, jazz, other musics from other cultures (i like North Indian classical, Japanese, Gamelan, many of the different forms from all over Africa, Eastern Europe, and very much, Middle Eastern).

[vurt]

ill give up breathing before music.

[seangm]

del

[Bombadil]

He just wanted his 5 posts.

[revvy]

What a long-winded 5 posts they are!

[Bombadil]

ill give up breathing before music.

Same. Music has been a constant in my life from the time I was born. It has literally saved my life (and gotten me into trouble) more times than I can count. I cannot imagine life without it. I cannot imagine not playing the guitar and keys. If I were locked in solitary, I‘d sing to keep me sane.