January 2020 - Managing negativity spirals with music
Welcome to 2020. We have newsletters for you.
Can music help you to break out from a negativity loop?
When I talk about negativity spirals, I’m referring to those times when you feel yourself slowly descending into increasingly catastrophic or negative thoughts. For me, once the spiral begins, it’s like setting a ball rolling down a hill. Unless I actively do something to stop it, I’m eventually going to hit the bottom.
Earlier this month, I asked Neurodivergent Twitter how they handle spirals like these.
The feedback I got was mostly around distraction, or replacing the thoughts with another form of input.
For example (I’ve paraphrased the tips below):
Playing games that require concentration and strategy (particularly Town of Salem) - @anarki4ever
Putting on instrumental tracks (possibly with rainy ambience laid underneath) - @ka9ayaiteiru
I’ll look at games and mental health in another issue, but when it comes to using audio to help with negativity spirals, I have a few things to recommend.
First of all, I’m squarely in the rainy ambience camp - I recommend rainymood.com for continuous, calming sounds you can access from any internet-enabled device with a modern web browser. I also switch this up with two Android apps, Ambience and Relax Melodies, which allow you to customise the kinds of relaxing sounds you want to hear (for example: purring cats, a campfire, or air conditioners). You can also mix these sounds with your own music. There are similarly named apps out there for Apple products, too.
I also find isochronic tones helpful, both with negativity spirals, and when I’m struggling with executive dysfunction. My two favourite isochronic tones YouTube videos are Montana Cellist’s “Isochronic Beats Cello Alpha waves 10 hz - Natural tones to boost serotonin” and Jason Stephenson’s “Music to help with sleeping issues, anxiety relief and pain with isochronic tones”.
Send me your tunes
Do you have a favourite combo of relaxing noises? (Mine is the sound of a creaky wooden ship, mixed with distant thunder, and audio of rain hitting a tin roof or pavement). Alternatively, do you have a favourite relaxation app or piece of music that works for you? I want to hear about it! You can send in your recommendations by hitting reply to this email, and I’ll either tweet them, or include them in the next newsletter, depending on the volume.
Please note: only subscribers are able to reply this way, you can’t reply if you are reading this on the Substack newsletter archive. Please consider becoming a subscriber! It’s free, and as Neurotopical grows, I’ll be offering additional subscribers-only material.
Links of interest
Every month I compile a handful of links related to Neurotopical’s areas of interest. This includes both current and older (but still-relevant) discussions, news and resources.
Infographic: The characteristics of autism
Twitter thread: Tips on dealing with social avoidance
Poll results: “Disabled” or “Special Needs?”
Blog post: 16 things to improve your state of mind
Twitter thread: ADHD tip - Heat the river
Twitter thread: Neurodiverse folk and our relationship with… the floor
In progress
Multiple neurodiverse traits assessment
While they in no way replace a professional diagnosis, online assessments can be a useful way to see if you fit the bill for a particular diagnosis before seeking a referral. At the moment, most online assessments only look at a single condition at a time. However, it’s not uncommon for an individual to have more than one potential diagnosis.
@zwriterthinker has been thinking about this, and recently started looking into what it might take to create a general online assessment that examines overall neurodiverse trait indicators. While it’s of course possible to discuss these things with your GP, it can be more economical and less intimidating for some people to do their initial research online before seeking professional assistance.
If you’re interested in this project, bookmark this Google Doc as it is where the first draft of traits and considerations will be collected. And if you have thoughts on how an assessment like this could be done online, and what should be included, I’ve offered to collect responses from subscribers here and pass them on – just hit reply to this email to let me know your thoughts.
That’s all for this month - see you in February!
Sassa