February 25, 2014 – Music Really Does Soothe the Soul

I have a very special interest in incorporating music in my therapy whenever possible.   If I see an opportunity to seize upon it and use in a positive way, I will do it.  I was very touched and happily surprised during one of my sessions with a teenager.   During our conversation, the topic turned to music and he expressed an interest in learning the guitar.  When he found out that I had been playing the guitar for some number of years, he became so thrilled that he jumped up to show me his record collection ( yes his own LP collection).  I was both struck and amazed at this young teenager’s knowledge of music, both contemporary and oldies.  What really struck me was when he used one of the lyrics from Nick Drake’s song to describe how he was feeling at the time. He brought up “Place to Be.”  It talks about someone who was much more optimistic when he was a younger boy. Now that he is older, he can't really find a place to belong, considering how people are telling him how to live his life.  I, indeed expressed my praise, as well as, how insightful he was to understand the power of how lyrics can describe a story about someone.  I brought up another song by Nick Drake “Road.”  It talks about how changing your path to suit others will not change anything. Your path will lead you where you are supposed to go.  It brought an opportunity for him to understand that no matter what anyone tells him or attempts to steer him, the only person that can chose his own path is himself.  When he does, he will be more content and optimistic.   He tended to agreed.  I just look forward to him playing the guitar.
 

The tweet- February 4, 2014

I stumbled onto Gwen Stefani's tweet from February 2, 2014.   She had posted a picture of her as Sting was giving her an autograph while on a Yamaha motorcycle.  If anyone doesn't know the story, here it is.  Her father was working for Yamaha motorcycles.  Yamaha was sponsoring part of The Police during their Synchronicity Tour.  When The Police played at Hollywood Park on June 6, 1983  (which was their biggest show to date in Los Angeles by the way), Gwen was able to go backstage and get an autograph from Sting before he took off.  She described the experience as " a grumpy Sting getting ready to take off and this chubby kid blushing getting his autograph."  Well apparently Gwen's tweet has received some negative exposure given that she has used the work chunky to describe herself in the picture.  While she is not considered chunky,  possibly she was trying to convey an opinion of herself when she was younger.  Gwen has openly admitted that she has battled weight issues on and off when she was younger.  I believe that body image is something that is very individualistic and at the same time negatively propagated by the media.  It is very true that body image issues can trigger depression, anxiety, anger and even self-loathing.  Without reading into what Gwen is currently going through at this time ( she is currently in her third trimester of pregnancy), it may speak about how she also sees herself at the moment.  Keep in mind that body image is perception and that one should feel comfortable in their own skin no matter where they are at the moment.  Unfortunately,  perception is sometimes based on what others view as the norm rather than how individuals should believe about themselves.    For those who do deal with body image issues, do self affirmations daily and focus on what you like and remind yourself that it's okay to like and appreciate what you see no matter what size you are.