The Power of Music & Mindset
The photo you see here is me, back in March 2023, celebrating the night I received my Brown Belt in Taekwondo - an official promotion to Senior Rank. Who would have thought that two and a half years earlier I could barely walk and bend without back pain, and I certainly couldn't do sit-ups, run or jump! During this Launch Week, I feel the need to share this story on how Music & Mindset contributed to a very significant personal transformation a few years ago.
I've always considered myself to be a fairly healthy kind of person in terms of diet and exercise, yet for many years I suffered from chronic back pain, random joint pain, and migraines. I tried so many different medical, physical, alternative therapies, pain relief, even nearly scheduled back surgery! Nothing seemed to really " fix it." It got worse after I had my children, and eventually got to a point where the pain was affecting me EVERY DAY - my sleep, my mental health, my mood and ultimately the connections with my family - I was often tired, unable to lift heavy things including my own young children, and certainly not able to run around and play with them!
I was at a crisis point. And it was then that I learnt about the power of the Mind. And just how UNHEALTHY my current Mindset was. My dear best friend recommended I start listening to a Like Mind, Like Body podcast to hear about other people going through similar situations. Episodes ranged from interviews with medical professionals, psychologist and psychiatrists, physical practitioners and alternative health professionals - all explaining the science behind how we can RETRAIN our brains and therefore our bodies back to health through a combination of Mindfulness practices, CBT, Graded Motor Imagery and Expressive Writing.
I was hooked - for the next 16months I studied as much as I could through the online membership group (Curable) and any extra reading and research I could find. I can't tell you how much of a life-changing experience it's been. A few months into my healing journey, on the eve of my 42nd birthday started Taekwondo training with my kids! And I'm so proud to say nearly 3 years later I am an evolved, healthier version of my self - happier, more resilient, more at peace within myself, stronger mentally and physically, CEO of my own business and training to sit my Black Belt test in 18 months time.
And the Music part? Well, what I can tell you is that every time I felt I couldn’t get the energy to train or do my exercises I would put on music with a strong beat - anything from African and Latin-American rhythms to Beyonce, to 70s disco and 80s pop - and just dance, move my body until it felt like I'd stirred up enough energy to keep going and moving forward.
And when I was low in my mood and unsure of how to tap into my emotions, I would put on Pavarotti or Adele, and let their big emotions carry and release my own with love and compassion.
And when I needed to have the energy to do repetitive computer work, I would pop on Bach or Haydn to stimulate all areas of my brain.
And when I need to ground myself I would choose Gurrumul or play my tank drum, and immediately I would feel reconnected and in tune with myself and the Universal energy around me.
And then there's the celebratory music... The uplifting, booming, inspiring sounds of many voices singing in harmony!
I'm smiling as I write this. I'm so grateful that my own challenging journey also took me on a journey of healing, connectedness, peace and joy. And I'm so grateful that someone who cared for me took the initiative to remind me of my own unique power and the importance of tuning in to that.
We ALL have that potential. We can ALL tune in to the Power of Music & Mindset.
I just feel it in my bones.
