Did you ever make a Mixtape for someone you loved? If you are below a certain age, you may not know what I'm referring to, so let me paint in the background. For most of the Record Industry's history, albums were recorded first onto magnetic tape before being cut to other media such as vinyl. Part of this evolution had a span of years when cassette tape was the most convenient way for folks to do home recording. Many of us would have a cassette-recorder, half the height but similar in size to a shoebox. We'd get this as close to the radio as possible to capture the tunes played by our favourite DJs. Devotion drove this delicate and diligent work!

More importantly, one of the greatest tokens of love you could do for a friend would be to make them their own Mixtape. It took hours and a lot of careful planning. Being such a personalised gift, this thoughtful present could even 'make' a relationship...

The dominance of magnetic tape even influenced some of the ways psychologists described how the brain works. A neurosurgeon called Wilder Penfield made amazing discoveries when he stimulated the temporal lobes of some of his patients. With their consent, he applied electrodes to the exposed brain as a prelude to brain surgery. The outcome was that some of the patients re-lived memories in full multisensory detail. The concept was seized upon in the famous book, "I'm OK – You're OK," to explain that our memories are like tapes which record everything we experience. These tapes influence the way we feel and act even if we do not re-experience the memory in the same vivid detail experienced by Wilder's patients. Something in an external event reminds us of an earlier experience (often unconsciously) and all the associated feelings come flooding back.

Whilst the brain is far more complex than this description, there's an action we can take as if this was true enough: making Mixtapes for ourselves. I know for a fact that I have some horrible recordings in my head and heart! If I make a mistake, the self-loathing statements that come flowing out of my mouth indicate a poor self-image. Those horrible words are simply a recording I've replayed far too many times – coaching myself into a low state. It's time for a new recording!

Affirmations are a powerful way of recording a new and more loving Mixtape for yourself. I've just recorded Martine Bolton talking about the publication of her first book, "Your Thinking is Your Superpower." One of Martine's favourite affirmations comes from Louise Hay, author of much loved works such as, "You Can Heal Your Life." The affirmation is:

"This situation is quickly and easily resolved for the highest good of all concerned." Another is like it, "All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. Out of this situation only good will come. I am safe."

Not only am I recording and playing new Mixtapes for my faithful brain to play, I'm looking for suggestions! What affirmations would you recommend? Is it time for you to record a loving Mixtape for your mind to play?

Lex

A Moodscope member.