Classical. The ultimate brain food

One day it started and never stopped.

I'm gonna be vulnerable and admit to something I'm not very proud of: I was a Disney kid. Yep, I said it; I was one of those kids you probably assumed would grow up to become a Disney adult, bumper sticker and all.

You can picture all of the very odd things that came out of that, such as a very strange obsession with collecting Disney pins (I have now seen that I spent over $400 on a set of pins clinging to this mouse lanyard that's only job is to collect dust) and an intense desire to see Cinderella's castle like it was going to change my life. There's probably some deeper meaning behind all of that, but we haven't gotten there in therapy yet…

Just kidding! But actually, probably not…

Anyhow

Something good came out of that intense and slightly weird obsession: a love for movie scores. As a kid, I would play 24-hour playlists on YouTube of just straight Disney scores. My favorites were "Stuff We Did" and "Married Life" from Up, "Nemo Egg (Main Title)" from Finding Nemo, and "Ratatouille Main Theme" from… you guessed it… Ratatouille.

I'm really outing myself now, but I promise there's a point.

I didn't know what it was, but the scores helped me focus and connect with whatever I was doing at the time. I felt like I was in a movie. My imagination would expand in all sorts of ways. Whenever I painted, I'd picture myself as a prominent painter who lived in one of those apartments with windows for ceilings. When I would take the neighbor's dog for a walk, I'd picture myself as one of those girls in The Devil Wears Prada who are so independent and kiss their boys goodbye… and take their neighbor's 14-year-old Yorkie for a walk down the street.

Scores made it all happen for me.

As a student, this has translated into classical music. It started as a background sound to any type of studying, whether it be reading a book for comparative literature or studying for my media law midterm. Soon, the classical bug began to spread.

Our relationship, well, moved to the next base.

The classical music playlists became more personalized to my activity: Book Reading Playlist, Studying Like Rory Gilmore (I still haven't seen Gilmore Girls, but it's fall-themed), and beyond.

Long drives were peppered with classical, as were early mornings and late evenings. Something about an extremity in time desires classical.

Eventually, it got more intense. I shuffle my liked songs on Spotify when I work out for the hell of it, and I think you know what I'm going to say next.

I've lifted to classical music more than a handful of times. And not just light lifting… I've cleaned 140 lbs as a CrossFit athlete to classical more than I'd like to admit.

I just feel more focused and inspired. My mind is clear. The constant hum disappears.

There's plenty of science that backs this up. So many studies say things like, "Children who listened to classical music for one hour a day over a six-month period exhibited brain changes that indicated greater levels of relaxation…" and "If testing anxiety causes sleepless nights, classical music can help soothe insomnia…" and blah blah blah. Basically, they all say it's good for you.

But whatever, just do the thing you're drawn to. Listen to rap going to bed, heavy metal to study, or classical when lifting.

Just do what you love.