3 Quirky Ways to Reduce Anxiety

For years meditation was not my friend, then I found yoga, which gave my meditations some breathing room. You read that right. I had to quiet my mind to meditate, the very thing that is supposed to quiet your mind. Still insomnia and worry were nearby ready to pounce. Meditation teachers say to take “monkey mind” in stride. My inner critic would more accurately be described as King Kong mind.

I never anticipated what finally did put me in the zone for meditation, a good night’s rest, and calmer days and my own version of purring. There’s a fancy name for it; autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR for short. Scientists don’t understand it but they are looking into it. All kinds of sounds do it including quirky YouTube videos such as Bob Ross’s painting instructionals.

I know I sound crazy. But once I read about the people using YouTube videos ranging from Ross to carpet vacuuming to convey a sense of calmness, I had to experiment. If food author Michael Pollan can celebrate the healing potential of psychedelics, I can boldly plunge into bizarre YouTube videos to alter my consciousness.

You might think you are immune, but let’s get real. Do you secretly love to crinkle bubble wrap and pop the bubbles? Welcome to my world and the world of many others looking to relax in stressful times. And these methods can also help with affirmative prayer and manifestation practices that require a relaxed frame of mind.

The key to the quirk is the relaxation triggers within these videos, not the overt content which some (including my wife Diane) find tedious. That means even if you never plan to paint, Bob Ross’s happy trees still work to help you find the calm zone.

The relaxation triggers include:

-Soothing voices- Here Ross reigns supreme, guiding budding painters to create happy trees, clouds and sunsets. A video of an Englishman conveying his passion for ironing in a calm “carry on” manner is a close second for me. Certain accents are said to be a relaxation trigger.

-Repetitive and rhythmic sounds-  Examples include Ross’s brush strokes caressing the canvas, and the sound of the iron pressing into the shirt. Another personal quirky favorite is a man carefully starting a fire without matches by going the Boy Scouts one better with ingenious, unconventional materials: an IKEA wooden hanger, knife and small wine rack. The soft, staccato rhythm of Diane typing on the iPad keyboard also relaxes me.

Traveling through Europe we have found a trigger that works for both of us: the clip clop of horses’ hooves as they pull carriages through narrow cobblestone lanes.

ASMR was discovered by trial and error in internet forums as people shared common stress-related problems and their experiments in finding solutions.

The effects of ASMR are varied. They can range from spinal tingling to something dramatically described as a “head orgasm.” Most people described at least a sense of calm and relaxation.  For some there is no effect.

Scientists are beginning to study the ASMR phenomenon. While they don’t have answers, theories include the triggers stimulating the parts of the brain associated with calm and increasing soothing brain chemicals such as serotonin and the bonding chemical oxytocin. ASMR may also evoke deeply ingrained conditioning from childhood. The videos sometimes mimic child caregiver behaviors such as soft voices. As a child, I often fell back asleep to the sound of my mother ironing and the sounds of my grandparents starting early morning fires in their cabin wood stove. These childhood experiences could explain my response to the IKEA fire video and the English ironing instruction video.

Other reported triggers include being the focus of an adult caregivers attention, evoking feelings of comfort and intimacy. This can include situations such as eye exams and medical exams. As long as I am in confessional mode, I always hit the zone having my teeth cleaned. Diane urged me not to share the latter with you, and gave me that unspoken “look” that translates to “Why did I ever say yes to a second date with you?” Nonetheless, I must sacrifice my dignity for an honest reporting of my experience. Others report repetitive caregiver tasks such as the sound  of scissors during a hair cut leading to calm. Many women, and some men, experience  this ASMR response with pedicure appointments. A few ASMR videos simulate a scalp massage.

YouTube features ASMR video specialists who recreate eye exams and other ASMR triggers. A few of these specialists do live shows. When you get to the fringes of the ASMR subculture populated by “Tingleheads” and YouTube whisper-actresses (softly telling you how wonderful you are) it can move from the bizarre to  high weirdness. And this harsh judgement is from a man who relaxes to Bob Ross videos. Some of the stranger manifestations include a man in a bird mask who does a half-hour medical exam of a Lego. Others flirt with science fiction, sexuality and violence and other nightmarish scenarios. Possible artistic content aside, these videos are described by “Tingleheads” as not inspiring relaxation.

I’ll admit ASMR could be described as pseudo-science, but it is a bottom-up, crowd-sourced and experience-based tool for relaxation and getting in the zone in a way that can help you mellow out, meditate, and manifest. At least for the basic videos I’ve found useful, there is only potential upside and no reported harm.