While my friends are buying emergency kits from Amazon and learning CPR, I’m dancing in my bedroom, madly.

As the world crumbles around us, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed and consumed by negativity. News and media tell of hurricanes, nuclear missile tests, and floods… oh my! If we weren’t so busy checking our Instagram feeds, we would all probably admit that the world is truly ending. Instead most of us just continue to live in a constant state of low-grade panic.

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I’m no different. As a sensitive “creative type,” I tend to block out the pain by keeping “busy” on social media. But there is another way to numb out reality. What has become my effective drug of choice is music. I can listen to a song and forget about everything. It’s amazing how a great song can inject a certain amount of pure joy and bring you into the present–even while the ground is opening up to swallow us whole.

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While my friends are buying emergency kits from Amazon and learning CPR, I’m dancing in my bedroom, madly. I definitely hope I’m lip-distance from some of my awesome and well-prepared friends (I’ll try not to wear lipstick when it all goes down), but I’m glad that I have a way to quell the fear. Denial is a useful skill, if implemented responsibly. Laughing at the truth, acting like you’ll live forever, and pretending it’s all going to be ok is almost a basic requirement these days. My motto is bury yourself in pleasure… audible pleasure that is.

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Yes, I’ve turned into that moody girl who puts on her headphones and blocks out the world. I put on music that feels so good, it’s as if North Korea were just ruled by a tubby cartoon character with a bad haircut… oh wait. Damn. Oh well, turn up the volume. As a bonafide escapist, I give you permission to indulge yourself – especially when it involves good music.

So, the next time you find yourself in a panic or convincing yourself to build a bunker and stockpile nonperishable goods, try listening to this playlist instead. Hopefully it will get you through your day with a little more joy. So, take a deep breath, turn up the volume and dance like it’s your last. At least you’ll go out in style.