A few weeks ago, after abruptly shutting down the cancer fundraising event that we started in 2009, my emotions were running a bit wild with sadness, empathy and, honestly, a bit of anger. I felt a bit like climbing under a rock for a few days (or longer) but, unfortunately, the cold weather, lack of wifi and general family/work responsibilities prevented me from doing so. However, I found myself gravitating to the one thing I’ve come to depend upon for more than 40 years of my life. The drums.
As a teenager, my mother said she always knew when there was something wrong. Not because I told her (as previously noted, I was a teenager), but because as my daily drum routine would shift from 1-2 hours to 4 or 5. The combination of listening to loud music while banging on drums served as way to tune out the world around me and focus on something I loved and made me happy. Over the last few weeks, my drum chops have improved quite a bit, and I’ve been more thankful than ever to have such an outlet.
Sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned, and we just need to get away from the craziness of the world. While everyone has their own approach, here’s a few tips for finding a good escape.
- Go out. It’s good to have an escape that actually takes you out of your usual environment. This could be as simple as going into another room, or traveling to a place a bit further away from work or home.
- Tune out. For me, the loud music keeps other thoughts from getting in my head. Find something that helps you tune life out for a while.
- Let it out. There are few things more therapeutic banging on drums with sticks. It’s a great way to get the negative energy out of my body and put it to good use. For many, exercise serves this purpose.
- Find happiness. I often call my drum room my happy place. Aside from the reasons above (and perhaps because of them), playing the drums is something I really enjoy doing. No matter what is going on in my life, I can always count on the drums to make me happy.
- Repeat. While an escape is nice, our minds often quickly wander back to reality shortly after our return. The solution is to keep escaping. The more you do it, the easier it all becomes.
So, this Thanksgiving, after Uncle Joey arrives late for dinner, Aunt Joan says something offensive, and the dinner conversation turns to religion and politics, think about your happy place to escape to. I’ll be in the drum room. And, if you come knocking, I can’t hear you.
I hope you enjoyed this post and, more importantly, have a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Personally, I have so much to be thankful for – from family and friends to colleagues and clients, I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you all for being a part of my life.
Jeff Freedman
CEO/Managing Partner
Small Army | Finn Partners
PS. Very excited to be recently named one of the Top Creative Agencies in Boston by DesignRush.