Music vs Podcasts

Given that I now spend most of my waking life with earphones in, I’ve been thinking a lot about which is better to drown out the din of the existential void - music or podcasts.

On one hand, podcasts give you something else to consciously think about, even to shift your unruly thoughts onto, a like-for-like trade. In a way, it is mindfulness practice, to be aware of your own thoughts and then choose to focus on what you are experiencing in the present moment instead of being pulled elsewhere.

Music, on the other hand, I can feel. It can make me forget rational thoughts altogether, instead just tapping into whatever emotional state the song ellicits. The only thing is, I don’t think I can really use music to trick myself into feeling something else - if I’m sad and I put on a happy song, it doesn’t resonate with me, it doesn’t lift me up at all. But if I put on a sad song, at least I can sometimes stop overthinking whatever it is that I’m sad about and instead just get on with feeling my feelings.

In short, I still haven’t made up my mind. The battle rages on.