Relax. Seriously. Just relax. You had a long day. You deserve to relax.
Lie down on your bed, the bean bag, perhaps the crumb-laden carpet if you must. Put in your headphones. Go on YouTube. Type in “ASMR” in the too-small search bar. Click on a video — any one you’d like, there’s no discrimination here. Now close your eyes, take a deep breath and listen.
Crackle. Pop. Splash. Swoosh swoosh. Hiss. Drip. Squish squish.
Your spine should “oooh,” your nerves should “ahhh,” your limbs should “whew” and your mind should be in the utmost state of bliss.
Damn.
The newest fad (or lifestyle, as I like to call it) is ASMR. (If you’re not relaxed right now, shame on you.) Long article short, ASMR is awesome. There’s no reasoning behind it and there shouldn’t be. But here goes.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s an experience in and of itself, turned on either by whispers, soft speaking, chewing sounds or the sounds of everyday life. You must have ample time to partake in it because who knows if you will fall asleep. And if you do, all the more power to you.
Weirdly, we ASMR-lovers get a lot of shit for it. Whether one is “ASMR-and-proud” or only listens before bed, others can’t wrap their heads around the fact that we get turned on by sounds.
But how can you not get turned on by sounds?
Sounds are everywhere: when you type (clack-clack), when you chew gum (squish-squish), when you break open an egg (cra–ack), even when you turn the page (whoosh!). It’s just so damn relaxing.
But alas, you still do not understand.
I get mentally turned on; my ears soak it all up and my brain is given the chance to take a break from learning. Our brains do so much, and we do so little for them. ASMR is one excellent way to tell our brains, “You know what? Thank you.”
It also stimulates my brain and allows it to focus and retain notes even better … so even if you aren’t too into it, you might as well pop in your earphones at the library sometime while studying for those exams.
Wait, now you want to try it? That was quick.
I have four recommendations for you. They’re all from YouTube but after you’ve become “ASMR-and-proud” you’ll find that YouTube is just not enough:
Peaceful Cuisine: a cooking channel that does both ASMR and non-ASMR videos.
Keemi ASMR: Keemi hosts mukbangs and regular eating videos where she uses these huge-ass mics to give you the most mentally orgasmic experience.
GentleWhispering: one of the pioneers (bless her) of the ASMR world. Maria does mostly whispering and non-object ASMR.
Ephemeral Rift: he mostly talks and his videos are really creative.
Feel free to venture out of these recommendations. Actually, I urge you to go out and explore the wonderful wide world of ASMR. We’re very welcoming.
