For today's challenge, pump up the volume!
Why listen to loud music? According to a study conducted at Manchester University:
listening to loud music stimulates part of the ear known as the sacculus, which responds in particular to musical beats. This pleasures the brain and makes you feel good during and after listening.
Basically, listening to loud music increases your serotonin levels and makes you feel happier. I heard this several years ago and practice it regularly (much to the chagrin of my husband), but it certainly works for me!
You can also practice listening to loud music at work - just be sure to have on your earphones unless all your office mates agree to the song and the experience or you could make a lot of enemies. If all your colleagues agree, it could boost your sense of community, fun and communal good feelings. When you feel the pressure rising, take a small break to pump up the volume for a quick boost of good feeling which will help you to deal with difficult colleagues or an overwhelming project.
One word of warning, listening to a lot of loud music WILL damage your hearing, so don't make it a practice to listen to everything loud all the time. In any case, moderation is a key to life, and there is truth to the adage that there can be too much of a good thing. Strategies like this tend to be more effective in short quick doses - just a quick one song break or a night out will boost your happiness more than blasting music all day every day.
What song will you blast today?
EcoBosh. “Loud Music Can Stimulate Your Brain.” ZME Science, ZME Science, 30 Aug. 2012, www.zmescience.com/medicine/mind-and-brain/loud-music-can-stimulate-your-brain/.