One Unexpected Habit I Cultivated for My Mental Health in 2020

I won't lie.

2020 was difficult.

* the Following article is from my regular newsletter about mental health, social anxiety, careers, and more. Click here to subscribe for free!*

Thankfully I didn't become homeless; COVID-19 didn't seriously ravage anybody close to me, but it wasn't easy, and yet the year I needed to grow, evolve, and am grateful overall.

If COVID happened 5 years ago, I would've been destroyed.

I've been on the self-development discovery journey of turning around my life from every way since 2016, for the last five years now.

I'm a son of immigrants, born in Massachusetts, and faced issues like poverty, racism, and physical & mental health problems growing up, especially social anxiety. It wasn't until I hit my dark night of the soul or my rock bottom in 2015, experiencing depression, social isolation, obesity, and even contemplating suicide where I decided to change my life. 

I went from binging Netflix to spending every breathing moment learning how to change my life, my brain, mind, soul, wallet, and legacy (binging life).

I picked up every book, habit, idea and experimented & implemented it.

Along the way, I started a top podcast, a couple of businesses, and some other things that helped me become more successful in the world. I went from some kid in college learning to become a successful Forbes featured keynote speaker, featured in multiple documentary films, and wrote my bestselling book, Screw Being Shy.

Every single day it's my obligation to the world to eat healthy, meditate, journal, exercise, and workout, and become the best, most authentic version of myself that can serve others.

I've learned from some of the world's best authors, meditation teachers, neuroscientists, professional athletes precisely what it takes to succeed in every aspect of life important to you.

And in 2020, some world-changing events happened, ranging from COVID-19 to an economic recession, an explosive political system, and a world that seems somehow unfit to deal with these problems at hand appropriately.

Many of us who have been meditating and participating in other self-care habits before COVID faced a ton of pressure to keep up certain routines built mainly around people, and we all had changed to survive.

COVID Is a Sneak Peek of the Upcoming Epidemic

It sucks to say it, but the next epidemic that may happen is already invisibly happening around us, the mental health crisis.

According to KFF, conducted in mid-July, 53% of adults in the United States reported that their mental health had been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. Many adults are also reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.

I have struggled with all of those. Personally, for me, social anxiety is one of my biggest mental health problems. Luckily, I've been quarantined with my family and not alone, but at times my social anxiety gets triggered due to spending time alone. It seems like it's easier to have a bad day because we're all mainly living in our own physical bubbles.

When COVID came around, I re-immersed myself in a habit I picked up from years ago. 

Making music. 

I don't play any instruments except for my brain and mouth. I love to story-tell and invoke emotion in the listener with thoughtful lyrics.

I've hosted a podcast for years about mental health but just having conversations isn't a medium that can allow for the most depth at an emotional level. So, I started singing, rapping, using music to create verses that can infiltrate someone's mind at an emotional level.

It all started one day during quarantine...

When I was so anxious & depressed, I couldn't get control of my mind; I didn't know what to do.

I had meditated, journaled, exercised, etc, all the things I do and talk about frequently, but they weren't working. 

I sat down on my floor by myself, pulled out my notepad on my phone, and started listening to free beats I found on YouTube that sounded nice and invoked emotion.

About 2 hours later, I had created an entire song with a chorus, bridge, verses, etc. 

More importantly? All of a sudden this massive black hole sitting on my chest had been lifted. I felt like a million bucks, ambitious for the future, and filled with energy and a clear head to get going with the rest of my day. 

I broke this down into a few different categories 

1. Authentic No Judgement Expression

I try my best to be myself on my podcast or in any other conversation. But, there are just certain limitations about societally acceptable speech that exists. However, with music and writing lyrics...you can almost say anything no matter how dark it seems because it's a song and music is art and abstract.

2. Mental Puzzle to Distract the Mind (in a healthy way)

Writing music isn't random. When I hired a singing coach, he told me music is mathematical. This is why if you get someone who knows nothing about music to listen to a song, they can instantly know if it "sounds right" or if it's offbeat. 

There's a mathematical puzzle you must fit to create a song comprised of syllables, rhyme schemes, spacing, etc. Think of it as a puzzle, and this puzzle works so well to distract the monkey mind that always pushes us into doing things left and right.

3. Creation of Increased Energy via Body & Mind

Music is one of the most potent energy forces in the world. In fact, in Napoleon Hill's Think & Grow Rich, it even states this. Music's listed as the #3 most powerful stimuli in the world, and it's there for a reason. 

Why am I writing this article?

I'm not writing this to encourage everyone to start making music.

I'm writing this article to spread awareness that sometimes the best mental health habits aren't black & white, like meditation and exercise.

Sometimes, the best habits are the ones that uniquely speak to your mind, soul, and heart. Sometimes, it takes years and decades for you to discover what that looks like for you. 

One thing is clear, make sure this habit is beneficial to you. Break down the habit into different value attributions as I did above, to get down to the truth.