After watching Jack Howard's video about inspiration it really made me think about what my intentions are with this blog.
He said something along the lines of "if you like something so much, why mirror it?" and that really struck a chord with me.
As I plan and write posts, I always, somewhere inside me, have an awareness of what's already out there. I strive to fit in with the bloggers because I know that's what's already accepted. I've had several ideas that I've immediately dismissed because I haven't seen it elsewhere but why? If I want to make an impression I can't be churning out the same old thing as every other blogger out there. I have to do what I want, without a fear of not fitting in.
Of course I'll still do the odd post which has been inspired or triggered by something but I should be less concerned about everything having a purpose. I should be able to inspire myself sometimes.
If I want to one day to share any weird or wonderful thought I've had I should. I shouldn't think "this isn't long enough to be its own post" because WHY NOT?! Who set this unspeakable rule in me that made me thought I need hundreds and hundreds of words.
I'm sorry if this is a bit disjointed or all over the place it's 11pm and I'm already in bed; I had to get this down before I slept and forgot it all.
As I turn this new page, don't forget to follow me on bloglovin so you know when these new pointless posts come about. Follow me on twitter for my multiple plugs and on instagram because why the hell not?!
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (or ASMR) is something that I actually discovered by accident.
A youtube guilty pleasure of mine is children's make up tutorials. Yep. 7 year-olds with an iPhone putting on make up. God, now I've said it out loud (I guess??) it sounds so weird but it's not! Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this...
One day I stumbled across this video and at first I thought she was whispering because she didn't want to be heard talking to her camera in her bathroom. But as I went down the comments, I kept seeing the term "ASMR" popping up (somehow I'd missed it in the title!) and I decided to look further into it. As it turns out there is an entire ASMR WORLD ON YOUTUBE.
If you can think of an appointment that can be role-played in an ASMR style, it's probably been done. Make-up tutorials, dentist appoinments, cranial nerve examination; everything.
The definition of ASMR (according to wikipedia, that super-reliable source) is as a "perceptual phenomenon characterised as a distinct, pleasurable tingling sensation...in response to visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory (smells) or cognitive stimuli". These tingles are generally felt in their head, limbs and back. Personally, it happens for me at the top of my back in between my shoulder blades and it's a feeling I can't describe.
It's all about soft sounds as well as specific things that "trigger" the ASMR feeling, such as tapping, clicking etc.
I've found more and more triggers as I get deeper into it. For someone who hates chewing sounds, the sound of a cough drop in someone's mouth is a recently discovered new trigger.
One of my biggest triggers is page turning sounds. I have a really vivid memory of when I was around 12/13 and I was sitting with my friend as she was looking through her exercise book and as I watched her turn the pages my eyes started to get heavy. At the time I didn't realise what was happening to me but now it all makes sense. I have to watch a 50 minute video of page turning/paper sounds in several goes because I keep falling asleep. I still haven't got all the way to the end!
If ever I'm struggling to sleep or can't get my brain to switch off, I whack on an ASMR video, stick my earphones in and usually within 10 minutes I'm so relaxed I could sleep for days.
I'm pretty much obsessed at this point and I will watch at least one video a night before I go to bed.
I've recently been favouring those videos with "binaural" in the title. These ones in particular are filmed using a special microphone so you can hear the sounds move from one ear to the other. For me, it accelerates the tingles by 1000%
Here are a few of my recent favourites that I keep going back to!
Binaural Makeup Roleplay - whisperslily
Makeup Roleplay -Nia M
Binaural Makeup Roleplay - whisperflower
I should mention that apparently it may not work for everyone. But give it a try, look around and you never know what could make those tingling feelings happen!
Let me know how you get on in the comments, I'd love to hear what other people's triggers are!
Thanks for reading.
Lots of love!
p.s. do you know how hard it is to title a post like this so as not to give it away but also without sounding so wrong? My initial idea was "Nighttime Tingles". Good job I heard it before it was too late.
