Entertainment
Can music enhance our well-being and standard of living?

In addition to improving our mood and general well-being, music therapy can be beneficial throughout the course of several medical treatments.

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The times are difficult. Our perception of safety in the world and our quality of life are being negatively impacted by the present political atmosphere, war, the effects of global warming, persistent disparities brought about by systematic racism, and ongoing physical and mental health issues stemming from COVID-19. Hopefully, we can all find some moments of relaxation and take our minds off the challenging daily news for a little while. Many people find that music may help them make that change, even little.

How does music affect our standard of living?

Researchers have recently examined the effects of music therapies on health-related quality of life in an effort to determine the most effective means of facilitating the transition toward release, relaxation, and recovery. Singing, listening to music, and participating in music therapy are examples of music therapies that can significantly enhance mental health and somewhat improve physical health-related quality of life. This was demonstrated by a recent systematic review and meta-analysis (a study of studies). Although the psychological quality of life was found to be positively impacted, the researchers were unable to identify a single optimal intervention or “dose” of music that would benefit every individual.

The intricacies of music

Our relationship with music is particularly personal since we are complicated human beings from a wide range of cultures with a diversity of life experiences and demands for both physical and mental health. Our connection with music may be a highly delicate, fragile, and frequently complex dance that changes every minute depending on our feelings, tastes, social context, and past experiences. There are instances in which listening to music can immediately and visibly improve our wellbeing:

using a calming soundtrack to facilitate the transition to sleep

use lively dance music to inspire yourself to work out

assisting with emotional self-expression through singing

going to a live music concert and making new friends.

A board-certified music therapist may assist you in developing that relationship with music at other times, as well as determine the optimal intervention and “dose” that may have a good effect on your well-being and offer a means of healing.

In what ways might music serve as a therapeutic aid?

Evidence-based music treatments are used by the well-established medical field of music therapy to achieve therapeutic health care objectives. A board-certified music therapist who has finished an approved undergraduate or graduate school in music therapy works with a patient (as well as any potential caregivers, family members, or other interested parties) to provide music therapy.

In order to achieve their goals of enhancing health and well-being, music therapists employ both receptive and active interventions, such as guided imagery with music, playlist creation, singing, instrument exploration, songwriting, movement, and digital music creation.

Among these objectives may include lowering anxiety, improving mood, reducing the sense of pain while undergoing cancer treatment or other medical intervention, enhancing expressiveness, discovering motivation, and many more. The ideal method to use music for these sorts of objectives and to enhance your life in general might vary from moment to moment, and a music therapist can assist you in determining what is most effective in a given circumstance.

My best tools for music therapy

Paying attention

The most research has been done on this intervention in nearly every situation. You can do it independently or in a music therapy setting. Both live and recorded music are possible. One might listen in the background or with purposeful emphasis. Emotions can be amplified for release. Music has the ability to calm the mind. Alternately, you may apply the “iso principle” to match music to your present energy or mood, then gradually alter the feel, pace, and complexity of the song to facilitate a transition. Listening to music may be used with relaxing techniques, as well as with motivation to work out, move more, or do a task you’ve been putting off.

Acquiring or mastering the use of an instrument

Making music actively actually uses your whole brain. The greatest potential for diversion, pain relief, cognitive function, development of fine and gross motor skills, and expressiveness is created by this. Certain instruments are made to make learning or free expression simpler.

For example, a steel tongue drum in pentatonic scale provides a lovely resonant sound, no “wrong notes,” and is made to be played simply! Take up the ukulele if you’d want to exercise your brain a little. Beginner chords just require one or two fingers to play, the strings are simple to press, and there are many of excellent ukulele materials available online. Using an instrument to make music may be simple and enjoyable.

The most direct and successful route to musical expression can be found with the assistance of a board-certified music therapist. It takes practice, persistence, and time to become truly proficient at an instrument and to read music.

singing

If you have a strong bond with your voice and/or a supportive relationship with your music therapist who can assist you in strengthening your bond with your instrument, this may be an incredible intervention. Singing songs that convey your truth might have emotional and physical advantages for lung function. And then, there’s the power of being surrounded by rich, harmonious sounds and the sense of camaraderie.

The last word

Music may be a powerful agent of transformation, even while there isn’t a one miraculous song, optimal intervention, or ideal genre to make all the difficult things in life easier.

Do you need further assistance selecting the ideal music-making tools? These are some places to look into music therapy and locate licensed therapists.

Technology
Digital Standard Operating Procedures: What Are They?

SOPs, or standard operating procedures, are detailed instructions on how to carry out standard manufacturing duties. Digitizing your paper-based operational procedures may boost regulatory compliance, decrease shop floor mistakes, and optimize workflow efficiency.

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Operational managers provide employees SOPs to follow in order to guarantee that work is completed consistently throughout the plant. Nonetheless, a lot of businesses continue to follow paper-based instructions, which might severely restrict their efficacy.

This is due to the fact that manual records age and frequently get misplaced or confused. Using paper-based procedures can reduce employee productivity over time in ways you may not even be aware of.

SOP software that is digitally implemented might help you to optimize your work operations. Continue reading to find out how electronic SOPs function and how they may raise the caliber of production:

Why are electronic SOPs used?

SOPs that are hard to read can be transformed into well-designed interactive processes with the help of digital SOPs.

To prevent any misunderstandings, SOPs should be precise and short. However, multimedia components in digital versions can help workers navigate challenging processes. For instance, images, movies, and charts are the ideal additions to procedures that require visual aids to enhance job communication.

Furthermore, management may design, allocate, administer, and keep an eye on the work being done when standard operating procedures are digitalized through the use of a connected worker platform and a cloud-based management system. This SOP software solution may assist monitor production quality in real-time and do away with the requirement for paper-based reporting.

Digital SOP software features

Many SOP software programs may give management the means to capture, record, and translate processes into comprehensible work activities. Software that is effective should give employees the tools they need to improve their performance on the job.

The following is a list of functions or characteristics that fundamental SOP software need to have:

SOPs should have a centralized hub that employees can search through to locate the most recent versions of the documentation in one convenient location. This guarantees that workers can locate anything at any time.

Workflows for SOP approval: Before goods are sent to customers, SOPs must pass through a quality assurance procedure to guarantee they fulfill criteria. To ensure a clear audit trail of the processes that have been authorized and when, the appropriate software should record who authorizes what. This is a trustworthy way to refer to records in the event of personnel turnover and helps to clear up any doubt over processes.

Sharing and permission capabilities: Any digital SOP program you use should be able to share and grant permissions, as well as lock sensitive files to prevent unwanted access. Procedures that are easily available provide high-quality cooperation amongst all project participants.

SOP templates: Standard templates have to be supplied with the program. These can help you create documents more quickly and will provide you with a better understanding of SOPs.

Ability to standardize internal procedures: Every stage of the document generation process, including updating and auditing, should be efficiently organized and standardized by an operating system. In the long term, this can result in improved documentation and a significant improvement in the way production facilities draft SOPs.

Module for employee certification and training: A good software system should have a module that indicates which training courses employees must take in order to demonstrate their understanding of the SOP content. Monitoring this data also gives management further insight into who isn’t adhering to SOP compliance regulations and how to fill in knowledge gaps.

How manufacturing quality may be raised using digital SOPs

Paper SOPs are neither cost-effective or handy for your company, and because editing, printing, and team member distribution can take time, management frequently puts off updating them. Paper processes ultimately become heavy manuals that are misplaced or ignored by busy employees, which can have disastrous effects on the caliber of output.

See digital SOPs as your road map for completing processes faster, producing higher-quality products, and guaranteeing compliance.

Anytime, anyplace, you may access software that’s hosted in the cloud. Because of the immediate visibility, employees may finish projects faster by not having to waste time hunting up processes or waiting for paper updates. Increased worker productivity and compliance criteria for production quality can be achieved by providing an accountable location for document searches and finds.

Penalties for noncompliance can be severe even for minor infractions. Digital SOPs facilitate task tracking and offer proof that employees are adhering to procedures.

Your company may make the switch to digital SOPs reporting with the aid of Augmentir’s cutting-edge connected worker solution. You may easily convert your paper-based SOPs to digital SOPs and increase production quality with our array of software solutions.