I can be a pretty moody person. Many would probably disagree, but that is just because I'm usually pretty good at covering my mood cake with a pretty thick layer of positive, optimistic icing. Such was not the case on Friday. Despite being my day off and a supposed day of rejuvenation from the week, there was no positive, optimistic icing for my cake.
My family had been home long enough to know what my mood was like, and so when I announced I was going to watch a movie, my wife quickly had a suggestion. She knows that when I'm in one of these moods, I will almost always pick something that really exacerbates the mood. She knows that I will pick some Sundance-esque, artsy, deep thinking, dark, end weirdly and in utter hopelessness and depression kind of movie. I have a tendency to feed my miserable mood with "life is crap" movies and music. Which then leads to ... well ... it's a very ugly looking cake. Her suggestion, right on the heels of announcing my desire for a movie, was "Please! Pick something HAPPY!" Annoyed, I did! Regretfully, I facebooked my selection before viewing the first five minutes, which clearly made me aware that it was rated R for several reasons. But ultimately, it's B-grade (perhaps even C-grade -- it was not a cinematic wonder by any means), craziness of killer fish eating everyone and the comedy of bad scripting did lift my spirits.
BIT: Media can help with our moods. I regularly listen to my ipod when working out at the gym and running. I find that music propels me to do better than I would have done without it (or in the case of the gym, trying to workout to "bad" music they pump in). An article I was recently reading quoted a Brazilian study where cyclists who listened to music they liked were able to push themselves further, and that in Taiwan patients awaiting a heart procedure who listened to their favorite music had less anxiety than those who didn't listen to music.
BITTER: So, what is it about media that is able to lift our spirits and inspire us to do and be greater (or feed the bad mood)? Is it the content, the lyrics, or the beat? I researched my preferences. When running, I like to listen to Christian music. If I'm going for distance (the long haul) I usually listen to Praise & Worship music by Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Fee, etc. (there's nothing like "You Never Let Go" to spur me on in the power of the Holy Spirit ... not to mention I sometimes get ideas about worship series while on these worship-runs). If I'm going for speed ... well, it's got to have a more driving beat, so I pop in (I know that dates me, I really do use my iPhone, but we used to "pop in" tapes and Cd's) some Hawk Nelson, Stellar Kart, etc. (get a little "Crazy Love" to motivate me to move faster).
If I'm at the gym on the Rowing Machine, I've got to get my Caribbean on ... so, it's some Bob Marley, or if I want to be more progressive I listen to Stefani Hudson suggested Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley or Matisyahu. If I'm on the Elliptical I love me some Hootie & The Blowfish, James Taylor, or Jimmy Buffett. And, when lifting weights ... if it's a good day I try experimenting with some Alternative, like Death Cab for Cutie, Fountains of Wayne, etc. But, if it's a bad day ... and I need some inspiration .. then I need Rock .. and there's nothing like some Led Zeppelin and AC/DC to get the mood in motion.
BITTEST: It looks like beat may win out over lyrics. Except that I know lyrics are important. Recently, I let my son (I've blogged about his Pop/Rap musical taste [if you can call that taste]) listen to "his" music on the way to school. A song by the New Boyz came on. Not so bad. It had a good beat. But then the lyrics ... "I hope you don’t take this the wrong way ... Girl you look better with the lights off, Better with the lights off, ooh. Girl you look better with the lights off, Better with the lights off, ooh Better with the lights off."
Really? I know if I tried this with my better half (who looks FANTASTIC with the lights on and off), that she wouldn't "take this the wrong way".
I invite you to comment or facebook your suggestions for me to try in my next work out ... when I need to Pump Up the Mood.
