Tag: sleep better

Did watching ASMR videos make me happier?

by liftbakelove1 Comment on Did watching ASMR videos make me happier?

ASMR, which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, has gotten incredibly popular over the last couple of years. The videos are supposedly a great way to wind down and relax, according to articles like this one. I had never considered watching them until recently one of my favorite YouTube channels, Bon Appetit, posted an April Fool’s joke of the test kitchen folks trying to make an ASMR video.

I was surprised that I really loved the video and was definitely more relaxed and in a better mood afterwards. So, this week, I decided to watch an ASMR video every day. This was a better way to clear my mind and relax than meditating every day, although I’m aware they aren’t at all the same thing. It was easier for me to just turn a video on in the background without it needing to be a focused activity when I didn’t feel like I had the time or space. It was also something that my fiance didn’t mind having to watch while he was doing something else, since I usually fell asleep pretty quickly.

Did watching ASMR videos make me happier? Yes. The videos made it so easy to fall asleep, and it was a great and relaxing way to end my day. I’m definitely going to turn to them when I need a calming moment or am having trouble falling asleep.

Did meditating every day make me happier?

by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Did meditating every day make me happier?

Meditation and mindfulness, like many of the things I’ve tried so far, have promised to fix everything in your life. It will reduce stress and pain, promote healing, reduce anxiety, increase relaxation, improve relationships, promote productivity, and much more. I personally have been a subscriber to Headspace for more than a year now, which I only know because I had a charge on my credit card for the annual subscription renewal that I had completely forgotten about. As much as I had tried in the past, I haven’t been able to meditate consistently over time.

Many of the studies done on meditation show that it’s important to “retrain your brain” by practicing meditation consistently rather than when you feel like it. I wondered if I would see the benefits of meditation if I actually did it every single day, so that’s what I did this week.

My current mediation streak on Headspace

When I was feeling extremely overwhelmed with wedding planning or my back pain (I currently have 3 bulging discs), meditating in the moment helped immensely. Otherwise, meditating mostly showcased how unfocused my brain really is. I struggled to stand or lie still for more than a few minutes. While I know that your mind wandering is totally normal and part of mediating, it was frustrating that I couldn’t focus for more than a few seconds at a time. I now have a long list of things to try for this blog like uni-tasking, staying off of Instagram and other social media sites and setting up specific times to check emails.

Did meditating every day make me happier? I think it’s still too early to tell, but it did make me realize what other actions I could take to make me happier. For now, I’ll keep my streak going and provide an update when I’ve meditating every day for a couple months.