I didn’t put in my headphones or listen to any music for a week. This is what happened.
If you are of my generation (Gen Z), then you have probably been a chronic music listener for as long as you can remember. Since I got my first pair of headphones in my early teens, I have taken every opportunity possible to clog up one of my five main sensory organs with a plastic and metal device, to project some sort of stimulating sound. I decided to take my first week off in a decade to see what would happen.
On day one, I noticed that I was itching like an addict. Every thought seemed to be linked to a song, and triggered the desire to pull out my headphones to give the thought the soundtrack it deserved. However, when reaching into my pocket to find nothing there, I wasn’t met with the gratifying comfort of my favourite music, but instead disappointment and regret in remembering what I had committed to for the week.
A couple of uncomfortable days passed before I realised that walking around is perfectly entertaining on its own. Which made my commute in the morning easier. Usually, the walk to the station is a race against the clock, where there is no time to waste, every step is vital in shaving off a second to prevent the nightmare scenario of missing my train. Intensity that I suppose should be expected when you’ve had Rage Against The Machine blasting in your ears from the second you stepped out of the shower. Now, that walk has become moment of tranquillity, where I listen to birds and look at trees, observe how peaceful London actually is before the city wakes up, and remember that life goes on if I miss my train.
As the week reached its end, I settled further into the natural sounds around me, and beganthinking so much clearer. My creativity went up as I was far more attentive to my thoughts, and eager to note them down so not to lose them. It made me realise that my constantly racing mind isn’t my worst enemy, but one of my greatest assets.
This is when I decided to always let my ears be free while walking. I didn’t love every element of this process. The gym for example, is very boring without music. But the walking, I loved. I never knew that this once monotonous task of getting from A to B could elicit such natural entertainment and reflection.
Now, I want to make it clear that I don’t write this with the intention to discredit the power and the beauty of music. Because the best benefit that I got from this experience was returning to music for the first time afterwards. ‘Read My Mind’ by The Killers was the first song that I played, and it felt like the first song I had ever played. When Brandon Flowers screamed “I wanna breathe that fire again!”, I felt like I really had.
