White Noise: Are You In?

“There’s no place you can go on the prairie that you don’t hear the white noise of the wind, steady and rough as surf curling along a non-existant shore.” Diane Ackerman

On many days,I feel overwhelmed by a constant barrage of mind-taxing distractions. Slick TV commercials gain my immediate attention to interrupt my flow of thought about a favorite movie I am watching. Car horns blast in congested highways as I attempt to negotiate around a blocked lane in front of me. The shrill bark of a neighborhood dog breaks the nightly silence while I need to experience restful sleep. As result of such random chaos in my daily routine, I must learn to better cope with my external environment to concentrate on the  intended task at hand.

To more clearly understand my solution to this attention-deficit dilemma, three eras of my past life surface immediately. In college, I recall paying avid attention to pulsating strobe lights on the dance floor, bubbling lava lamps in my college dorm as well as pleasing vocal harmonics of “Chicago”, “The Eagles” and “The Moody Blues” in concert. Being an innovation-striving teacher/professor, my later decision to play “Mozart Effect” music as a background stimuli for student journal writing activities proved useful for stimulating more focused thoughts and creative energy. As an aspiring athlete, I look back to my time as a 10K runner. Attempting to block out  awareness of physical pain as such exertion induced “hormonal highs”, I steadily improved my performance times in each competition. To further enhance my resolve to stay positive in performing this arduous task, I found it equally useful to headphones playing customized sets of quiet music.

Consider then, my logical reasoning to utilize “White Noise” as a new concentration paradigm now. Combining pleasing sights with natural sounds or classical music as a background stimuli, I continue my persistent quest to block out unwanted external noise that distracts my attention from focus on the present moment. Whether “White Noise” vibrations are artificially taped or naturally experienced, I strongly contend that the end result of using this technique in the following interventions will facilitate a focused mind in my retirement years.

Listen To Nature

As an independent traveler around the world, the pleasing sounds of nature evoke powerful emotions of feeling “alive in the present moment. On day hikes, I take notice of the steady sounds of a bubbling brook or a crackling snow field to set the tone for greater concentration on the “now” moment of my curious mind.” On long distance cruises, I read quietly on deck as I listen to the pleasantries of a lapping wave or hungry seagull.

Meditate With Yoga

At home, I feel privileged to practice yoga 2-3 times each week in the company of an experienced yogi trainer. In each session, I focus on conscious breath awareness accompanied by Buddhistic chants, wind chimes, and “thought of the day”recitals, In essence, I strive to find “zen serenity” and inhibit negative thoughts of past/present to control my incessant “monkey mind.”

Overcome Stress

There are great dangers when one chooses to become exposed to anger and pessimism In life. Resulting stress behaviors of worry and doubt can jeopardize your health as well as the efficiency of your daily routine. So I now consider it critical for me to begin each day with the prerecorded sounds of my “White Noise app rather than hear the latest blame-filled tweets of our current President. At mealtimes, I turn off the TV and ask Alexa on my living room, Echo device to play me some soothing nature sounds. Foregoing Facebook and Twitter rants at bedtime, I instead might put on an inspiring classical piece of music as I imagine my cherished house cat nearby pleasantly purring me to experience the egoless bliss of restful sleep.

Web References:

https://psmag.com/news/the-art-and-science-of-white-noise

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201706/does-white-noise-help-you-learn-0?

https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/w/white_noise.asp