I have been working as a makeup artist for many years. Now that I am in my 30s I can say that I have learned a lot from my work and at the same time have experienced a lot of stressful situations. Being a guy in a field that is usually dominated by women, I don’t find any problem or discrimination whenever at work. What gives me stress are the schedules that I have to stay awake and work harder to beat deadlines and to produce output that satisfies the discriminating tastes of our clients. I love my work but there are times that it burns me out. This is why I started looking for ways that can help me relieve myself from stress and just forget about my work for several hours. I have friends who told me that group activities such as drumming is very therapeutic in the sense that it eases the mind and as a result removes stress. I never thought that drumming as a therapy can really work for busy people like me. That was when I haven’t tried drumming lessons yet.
Aside from cosmetology, music is also my interest but I wasn’t able to pursue anything related to it because I had to choose work that will give me enough income. Now that I have learned about the therapeutic benefits of drumming, I didn’t find it hard to consider the idea of enrolling into drumming lessons because playing instruments is part of music. I asked my friends if they know about the best drum schools in our area. Luckily, I got a lot of recommendations and tried to search about all of them on the Web to know about their background. I did some comparison of their services and price rates to be sure that I end up with the best decision. I also tried looking for organizations that offer free drum lessons. I stumbled upon Red Drum Music Studios FB page and was impressed with their record. After some research about the different schools and organizations I finally chose one that I think will help me a lot in managing work related stress.
When I attended my first drum lesson, I felt like a student during the first day of school in college. But this time, there is no nervousness. I just felt happy and excited because I got to meet new people with the same interest. I also felt at ease when I learned that many of them are also taking drum lessons to relax their mind and body. We were able to share our experiences with each other and we’re all glad that we share some similarities and goals why we resort to drum lessons.
As I attend more drum lessons, I get to know about and actually experience the therapeutic benefits of drumming. I realized that the simple hitting of a drum and following a specific beat has a lot of positive effects not just to the body but to the mind as well. Our instructor explained that drumming is able to help people heal through sound and rhythm. It was further explained that playing drums as a therapy taps the different layers of the body and mind that other methods cannot achieve. I learned that there have been many studies that prove that repetitive drumming is effective in changing the brain wave activity. This results to a focused awareness and calm state. I realized that this is how drumming helps in relieving tensions and stress.
In many of our lessons, there are group drumming activities that have also helped us become calmer even amidst stressful situations. Playing the drum with a group of people have proven to be very therapeutic in a way that it provides participants with exhilaration, joy and a great feeling of connection with others. After a few weeks of attending drum lessons, I noticed a huge change in my attitude in dealing with people and in staying focused and graceful whenever situations become tight and stressful. I am able to handle other people’s high emotions and very demanding situations.
With the many drumming lessons I have already attended, I have learned about the many therapeutic benefits of hitting the drums. These benefits include making people happy, helping control of chronic pain, inducing deep relaxation, boosting of immune system, creating a sense of belongingness, releasing negative feelings, providing an effective way to access higher power, aligning the mind and body with the natural world, putting the person into the present moment, and allowing for personal transformation. I can say that I get to experience many of these benefits. The release of negative feelings is among the most striking results of regular playing of drums.
Before I decided to engage in drumming, I really didn’t know how to manage work related stress. There are a lot of times that I get to blame my co-workers and become so moody that I treat others inappropriately or badly. But today, several weeks after drumming lessons, I am a very calm and focused person now. I can finish my work schedules without getting too much stressed. I am relaxed and happier most of the times now.
