I bumped into an old acquaintance on campus the other day.
Though it had been quite a while since I’d seen the guy, he
refused to shake my hand.
To be more precise, he couldn’t ““ his hands were too
chalky from rock climbing at Wooden. He’d been doing a lot of
that lately, he explained, since taking the quarter off.
It was then that I noticed the portable CD player at his side,
which he revealed housed a PJ Harvey record. I have to admit to
being a little envious ““ and not just because he didn’t
have to go to class or because he was in excellent shape. Sure, all
that might be nice, but it was something more than that.
It didn’t strike me until later: I don’t listen to
PJ Harvey any more. At least, not around this time of the quarter.
By the time midterms roll around again, I’m hardly in the
mood to listen to her brand of tortured, unsettling music.
She’s too much of a downer, and I’m too preoccupied.
Listening to that kind of stuff requires a certain measure of
emotional stability or a lapse into depression, both being luxuries
few of us can afford.
There are a lot of ways to relieve stress, but only a couple
realistically fit into the demanding schedule that’s causing
that stress in the first place. The best way would probably be
exactly what my wall-scaling friend was doing ““ exercise a
few times a week ““ but many can’t even make time for
that.
I took yoga last year, which was only once a week but worked
marvelously; it’s really something when all you’re
thinking about for two hours is just breathing and position,
breathing and position. It also helps if you’re like another
acquaintance of mine (who will mercifully remain nameless), and
you’re infatuated with your yoga instructor. Nevertheless,
there are those who still couldn’t fit that in, would rather
not shell out the 25 bones, or perhaps feel a bit self-conscious
doing sun salutes and warrior poses in front of peers after a full
day of class, work, lab, etc.
Some people like to deal with stress by eating junk food; it
doesn’t require much effort and can be immensely satisfying.
I’d probably do it more often if there were more food around
my apartment. But that’s the thing ““ it’s costly.
It’s also not too healthy, and a lot of times you can end up
just crashing down from your brief little
fat/salt/sugar/caffeine-induced heaven, forcing you to start the
vicious cycle all over again. All that goes for smoking, too.
I’m no psychology student, but it’s pretty clear
that music can be a helpful mood regulator and stress reliever.
Whether you’re blowing off steam with high volumes or
chilling out with headphones, it can be strangely comforting and
provides momentary escapism. It’s free, it’s not
healthy, and it takes little time or effort ““ the perfect
combination for your average college student. Plus, making use of
that iPod your parents got you is probably a good idea.
And for those who say partying is the best way to deal with
stress ““ hey, there’s no party without the music. In
fact, the main reason you’re drinking is to make that awful
music sound better so you can dance to it without hating
yourself.
Not surprisingly, my music-listening habits after fourth week
become dependent on my mood and what I’m doing. When
I’m stressing out in the middle of studying or writing
papers, it’s mostly non-intrusive, slightly calming music
such as jazz ““ Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, maybe some bossa
nova ““ and stuff I might not otherwise listen to for fear of
falling asleep, such as Yo La Tengo and Sufjan Stevens. When
I’m between things on a packed to-do list, I’ll lean
toward something a bit more uplifting and energizing ““
basically anything that would pop up on an oldies station, maybe
some De La Soul, Beck’s “Midnite Vultures,”
perhaps even some Daft Punk.
Hm. I just realized you probably have to be certifiably crazy to
be listening to Daft Punk ““ essentially dance music for
robots ““ to deal with stress, but whatever. All I know is
that if I get through the quarter, I’ll have earned the right
to listen to depressing music again. What could be saner than
that?
E-mail Lee at alee2@media.ucla.edu.