Just like last year, March has me stressed out because it is notoriously a huge month at work. I tried listening to one of those CD's that transforms people into corporate machines that are immune to stress, pressure and mental fatigue. I didn't want the motivation pep talks or the time management strategies, I wanted to learn how to "switch off". I really like my job but I don't want to think about it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I can't sleep because my brain won't stop thinking about my To Do list.

I have two major problems with this 6-CD box set. The first is that for the majority of the time that I was listening to the CD's I was thinking about all things that I could be doing with my time other than listening to these CD's (just FYI, that topic was not addressed by Dr. Adam). The second was that the key to switching off is to have some personal quiet time right after work that allows the brain to easily transition into "home mode". This made sense and seemed simple so I tried it.

I got home and laid down on the bed without turning any music on which is a rare occurrence for me. I closed my eyes, relaxed my face and enjoyed the peaceful sounds of the neighbourhood. The Sydney train network elegantly mixed with a child's clarinet lesson. This was the only time that I have ever wished for louder trains because this child was so...not gifted. I stilt can't figure out if the noise was actually coming from a clarinet or if someone ran over Benny Goodman's cat but the point is - it's the most annoying sound in the world.

Needless to say, I didn't have my personal quiet time and became pissed off so I took it out on my spin bike. I'm hoping that blogging can substitute for personal quiet time. Maybe I'll listen to classical music too...with headphones on.