How often have you driven to work only to realize that you do not remember the journey? Perhaps you were zoned out. Can you remember what you were listening to during that time? How many ads played while you were driving? Were you listening to a talk show? If so, what attitudes and outlooks were expressed? Pay attention to this because unless you are playing a CD or music from your I-pod, chances are you’ve been listening to things that can and will affect you.
Music
In regards to music, we really need to pay attention to what we are listening to! One
recommendation I make is that you don’t leave background music playing unless it is
instrumental or you know what the words say. While I’m at the gym I always bring my own music and headphones so that I can have control over what music, or input, I am listening to. I am not promoting one type of music as better than another. I believe you can find songs without negative lyrics in any genre of music. When you buy an album read the lyrics, especially if you don’t really know what the songs are saying, because what you listen to all day long will affect your state of mind.
Talk Radio and News
It is important to keep ourselves informed of the current events that affect us, our families and the world at large. That being said, we need to be just as careful about the news and talk radio that we take-in as we are about all of our other media consumption. With TV news, as with other programming, I recommend pre-recording. You will find that you really don’t need to know about the tragic bus or train crash that occurred across the nation unless you have friends or family in that area, or you are in a related industry yourself. You will want to know if something like Hurricane Katrina happens-- perhaps you can do something to help--but you do not need to hear every crime and tragedy that occurs around the world. That is depressing! You especially don’t need to hear it repeated over and over again.
When it comes to radio talk shows, remember that while they may impart bits of information, often of dubious origin, they are designed primarily to entertain. You are the consumer that they are marketing their product to. Their product is their program. Pay close attention to what emotions arise in you as you listen. Evoking a strong emotional response is the hook that many talk shows use to keep you listening. How is your blood pressure affected? What impact if any does listening have on your mood, outlook, and feelings toward others? Did you learn something of value that you can act on, or did you just get yourself riled up? These are the tests that you can apply when deciding whether a show is beneficial to you or not. If you are looking for “just the facts” then print versions of news, whether online or on paper, tend to have fewer emotional “hooks” and require less of your time and energy to relay the information.
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