My ASMR Journey and How YouTube Helped Me Chill

Yes. A head orgasm. And it's not as weird as it sounds. With school starting up again, all of our minds need more relaxation and stress coping mechanisms. Allow me to divulge.

As a person who suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, and just general stress (what college student doesn't???) I've found that when I try to fall asleep, I essentially have to hold my mind at gunpoint to get it to relax, which in turn only stresses me out more. It's a vicious cycle. From the time I was a pimply pre-teen, to now, at the ripe, fruitful age of 20, I have had serious issues with relaxation, especially at night time. Then - a miracle. I was fumbling around on YouTube one night (I had gotten myself into one of the dark, deep YouTube holes), when I randomly clicked on a video that changed my life. The video was titled *_* Oh such a good 3D sound ASMR video *_* , posted by an account called GentleWhispering (An ASMR goddess among the YouTube community). It was about 3am at this point, and I would have welcomed the Angel of Death himself into my bed if it had meant I could get even one hour's rest.

So I click the video and a lovely Russian woman begins to whisper into a special binaural microphone that simulates your actual ears. She tapped with her long fingernails on a wooden brush, she blew incense into the microphone, and as strange and borderline violating as the video was, I realized I was instantly calmer. My eyes were closing, my muscles in my neck were releasing, and a pleasant buzzing feeling in my head started to lull me to sleep. From that night on, I was hooked.

actually me watching ASMR vids

After a few nights of falling asleep to this video, I wanted to look into this buzzing feeling it produced in my head and why it was so damn pleasant and relaxing. As stated, ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, a tingling feeling produced when a person is triggered by a specific sound or visual. There are an endless amount of triggers (find yours here), and they can be a little different for everyone. Looking back, I concluded that I've always been triggered by soft, female voices. I had this one Algebra teacher in middle school who, when she would teach a lesson, my eyes would begin to droop and my head would feel tingly, even when I was perfectly well rested. That was an effective ASMR trigger. I just didn't know that sensation had a name.

TFW ^^^^^^^^

Now that I know my triggers (I also get ASMR triggered by paper and writing noises. It's the English major in me), I find it fairly easy to be soothed by ASMR videos when I'm having a rough night, when I can't sleep, or even mid day when I need to relax for a while.

I know it definitely 100% will may sound a bit creepy at first to have someone basically whispering in your ears or brushing your hair through your headphones in a YouTube video. My mother and my boyfriend both laughed their asses off and were effectively creeped out when I showed them the video that has been getting me to sleep for the past 3 months. But it works for me, so screw everyone who thinks I belong in a mental home. Imma be sleeping like a damn baby in a meadow and no one can stop me.

Bottom Line:

ASMR videos are not for everyone, as not everyone responds to ASMR triggers. However, if you are as desperate as I was for a new way to find peace at bedtime and an easier way to relax, I highly suggest you try it out. Below are a couple of ASMR videos and accounts that I love and that helped me during those nights that made me want to slam a car door on my head. Happy Relaxation, friends and fam :)

And because this is just funny: