Kickstart Your Inward Eye – The world is facing a crisis during this COVID-19 pandemic and the people seemingly lose their normal life and are gripped in fear. Many are pushed into depression, anxiety and loneliness and they don’t know how to come out of their abnormalcy. The intention is to throw light on some of the ways which help them to come out from the tangle and to face this situation with confidence. 

Awareness Instilled

Living with COVID-19, sharing our thoughts with friends and relatives, listening to effective speeches of scholars, medicos, scientists and reading the articles by eminent persons have naturally and spontaneously instilled our awareness and have directed us to face the situation. Now the question is shall we stop with this passive, theoretical knowledge bestowed on us, thanks to the awareness created by mass media. Are we ready to face the situation by converting the passive, theoretical knowledge into an active and practicable one?

Inward Eye

Are we ready for the kickstart? Let us see what to kickstart and how to kickstart. Yes, it is high time to kickstart our inward eye namely motivation, attitude and self-confidence by means of boosting our motivation, developing a positive attitude and improving self-confidence. 

Impossible Becomes Possible

Now you are at the point of kickstarting, it may seem rather a high goal and unreachable. The time-old practice to gain motivation, positive attitude and confidence are either to sing a song or listen to it. Music is to the soul what words are to the mind. In the words of Plato, music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. Indeed, music is magical and has the power to lift our motivation, to enhance our positive attitude and to promote our self-confidence.

Positive Impact of Music

Many studies have been carried out to show the positive impact of music on people in general and on elderly people in particular. Music has been therapy, a medicine of the mind promoting positive effects on senior people.

Silver Memories

Silver Memories is a non-profit 24 hr radio programme which was designed by Gary Thorpe to address specific social isolation and loneliness in elder people by broadcasting music, serials and other programmes relevant to the period when the elder people grew up-1920-1950 first aired in Brisbane, Australia. 

Gary Thorpe conducted research on 74 elderly people living in sixteen aged care facilities in New South Wales and Queensland to study their mood and quality of life.  In the beginning, they were not motivated, had a negative attitude and lacked self-confidence which resulted in their disengagement and uninterest in activities given to them.

Gary Thorpe made the subjects to tune into their favourite programme from 7 am to 1 pm live programme and for the rest of the day recorded programme from “Silver Memories”. The study was carried out for three months and the subjects were exposed to the music. 

Impact of Silver Memories

Gradually, the subjects became motivated, interested and gained self-confidence. Their positive attitude made them speak freely and take part in the activities with zeal, interest and enthusiasm. Regular listening to music resulted in their improved quality of life, reduced depression, agitation and aggression. It was a long term impact of music which helped them settle into their environment. It is not an easy and reachable goal for the elderly to sing or to listen to music to be motivated, self-confident and positively oriented to their way of life.

Music a Tool for MIND, BODY, and SOUL

A study was carried out to show the impact of music on emotion. A 65 yr old man was admitted to a rehab centre with advanced respiratory failure with difficulty in breathing. Indian music as an adjuvant was used to motivate him. Significantly this improved his mind, body and breath. It also improved his muscle power and he got motivated enough to handle his functions independently. The study proves that music improves the wellness of mind, body and emotions. It is also clear that people who are depressed or suffer from neuro-psychiatric conditions show significant improvement by listening to music.

Music a Nutrient for MIND, BODY, and SOUL

Studies clearly show that music enhances physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual wellness of a person. The intellectual wellness is exhibited when music makes them keep their memories sharp and helps them remember important events. The spiritual wellness of a person means music helps them reach happiness effortlessly and easily. In the evergreen quote of George Eliot, life seems to go on without effort when a person is filled with music. Summing up, music is like a stimulus, or a bag of nutrients for our mind, body and soul.

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Guest Author – Dr.P.A.Sarada BSc., MA., Med., M.Phil., PhD.,

Dr.P.A.Sarada has put in 44 years of service both in Government and private institutions. Her services include  State level Teacher training Officer, Headmistress of Govt Higher Secondary School, Professor Emeritus and She is a recipient of State level Best Teacher Award.