“Blue Monday” is not until next Monday, 15th January, however, I think we can take a couple of blogs to beat and then banish the Blues. Whilst there is no scientific proof that ‘Blue Monday’ exists (it was a marketing gimmick popularised by a UK Travel Agent), we at Moodscope know how Winter may affect our mood, performance, and level of wellbeing.

Thus, let us enter boldly into the fray with good cheer and courage, and say, “No!” to the Blues!

Something strangely wonderful happened this Saturday morning.  I’ve been a fan of the phenomenon proven in physics, biology, and neuroscience called, “Entrainment.”  Entrainment in neuroscience (according to ChatGPT - my Research Assistant) is, “…often studied in the context of brain waves. For instance, rhythmic auditory stimuli can entrain neural oscillations, leading to synchronization of brain waves with the external stimulus.”

Yes, erm…  Well, in Lex-speak, this means the right music with appropriate harmonic structure, and, critically, a certain number of beats-per-minute, if listened to immersively, can literally change our brainwave state. In short: right music + for the right duration + enjoyed = feel better! 

We’ve shared this many times over the years I’ve been writing for Moodscope, so why bring it up again? Simply because I’ve discovered an obvious link to energy which wasn’t formerly ‘obvious’ to me. Since multiple incidences of Covid, and after the Stroke I had in May 2022, my energy capacity has been diminished. I tire easily. This could be long-Covid, the consequences of the Stroke, being overweight, feeling depressed, drinking too much too often, or a vicious blend of all of these. Bottom line is that I bottom out when it comes to energy availability.

Saturday morning started with a wicked sense of humour. Lady Penelope was sharing her ‘alternative’ (from her teenage years) lyrics to Status Quo’s, “Down, Down,” hit record. I am not going to share what the naughty lady used to sing, but it has led to a hilarious feature on this week’s radio show: “Famously Misheard Lyrics.”  Forget, “While Shepherds Washed Their Socks By Night…”

We genuinely didn’t know the right words to, “Down, Down,” so I put it on ‘play’ while I asked ‘Auntie’ to find me the lyrics (Auntie Google). It’s a deeper song than you may have thought. We use a streaming service which chooses the next track to play, as if by magic. Thus started a pre-breakfast joy-fest of great tunes from the 1970s.  This included Racey’s, “Some Girls Do…” and our 1981 Eurovision Winner from Bucks Fizz, “Making Your Mind Up,” and then I intervened with some Deep Purple with, “Highway Star.”  Along the journey there was some Mudd, The Rubettes, and even some Alvin Stardust…

So what?  “So what?”!!!  Let me tell you, my energy – my physical energy shifted - not just my brainwaves. So did Lady P’s. Bouncing around the kitchen, we had such a fab start to the day that the whole day went well.

That’s it for this Monday. Let’s use “beats-per-minute” from our favourite joyful songs to, “Beat the Blues.” Next Monday, we’ll use more strategies to, “Banish the Blues.”

Lex

A Moodscope member