Coping 2: Electric Bugaloo

Before I start, just a quick update on my condition. I can tell the side effects are starting to slowly diminish, but they are still noticeable. The rash is starting to fade, although I still have the goosebumps (mainly on my legs). The redness in my face is beginning to go away and hopefully with it the dry skin will shed and refresh itself. The joint pain is still present, but doesn't seem to be as severe as before. Right now, my hands still ache but the rest of my body is trying to get in line. My hope is in the next few days everything will be unnoticeable.

In my original coping post I had a lot more to say, but wanted to split it up so that it wouldn't get too long. I mentioned I used humor as a defense mechanism to keep all those bad feelings at bay. Like I said, I'd rather be with people and see them having a good time by letting them see that I can have a good time. Happiness is contagious. Even when I'm by myself, I spend a majority of the time trying to surround myself with humor by watching funny videos or looking at funny pictures. But my fallback has always been music.

I've always been a music fan. While I never got the knack for learning how to play anything well, I was content to listen and absorb it. Like with many of you I have specific genres and bands I listen to exclusively, but can often find myself enjoying sounds outside my own comfort zone. Also like many of you, I can use music to relate to different times in my life; the sounds of certain songs can wash a nostalgia wave over us like nothing else. Coupled with my extraordinary ability to recall small details about events, music can make me relive these moments time and time again. For this reason, music really helps me cope in more ways than one.

It works in both directions. I can use songs to recall good/happy moments as well as the bad/sad ones. Music can be uplifting for me, but it can also be very cathartic. I've always used music constructively to help me vent my anger or my sadness. It works well for me, since I would consider myself an introvert. I'd rather handle my own problems in my own way then yell or scream at someone I love because of something I'm going through or to talk to someone I don't know about issues they may or may not understand fully. If I do, it's often with close friends. But music gives me this release without the pressure of needing someone else there for me.

They often say that math is the universal language for communication, but music is the universal language of emotions. I would have to agree.