Achieve Zen-like serenity with car repairs by discovering ASMR while quietly observing a master mechanic perform a complete 4-wheel brake job and brake hose replacement on a 2005 Honda Element.
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a pleasurable mental and physiologic response associated with triggering sounds such as whispering, tapping sounds, brushing sounds and slow hand movements.
Those who experience ASMR typically describe it as a tingling sensation in response to certain auditory or visual stimuli that often starts at the back of the head and travels down the spine and sometimes extends to other parts of the body. Its popularity grew over recent years, primarily on the internet, where creators produce ASMR content in the form of videos or audio recordings.
Common ASMR triggers include:
1. Whispering: Soft-spoken or whispered voices can trigger ASMR in some individuals.
2. Tapping: Tapping on objects or surfaces can create soothing sounds that induce ASMR.
3. Crinkling: The sound of crinkling paper, plastic, or other materials can be relaxing for some people.
4. Personal attention: Roleplays where the ASMR creator pretends to provide personal attention, such as a spa visit or a medical examination, are common.
5. Eating sounds: Some people enjoy ASMR content that involves eating or drinking, with a focus on the sounds produced during these activities.
6. Brushing or scratching: Visual and auditory triggers like brushing or scratching a microphone or different objects can induce ASMR.
Please Note: Those same triggers can also evoke annoyance and hostility---so, go figure.
That said, the experience of ASMR is highly individual, and not everyone experiences it. However, the number of users of ASMR has grown so much that it has become a popular niche in online content creation, with millions of people seeking out ASMR videos for relaxation and entertainment.
ASMR and Car Repair
While the whole ASMR might seem a little too hippy-dippy for a mechanic, there appears to be some truthiness to the merits of ASMR.
A good example is that from Eric the Car Guy YouTube channel with an ASMR video that turns a brake job into a relaxation video. The added value of the video is that while watching the demonstration, it also provides some useful learning on car repair and what a mechanic does when giving your car a brake job the way it should be done.
I tried the video myself and found it to be---if not at least relaxing---a good motivator for those days when it was hard to get my butt into the garage and on the truck project. Plus, watching another mechanic’s style is a good way to pick up tips on better ways of doing things without having to listen to dialog or lecturing.
For more about ASMR and the video, follow the link to this article titled, “Car Repair Stress Cure with ASMR Brake Job.”
The Least You Need to Know...
Achieving a Zen-like serenity with car repairs is going to take more than watching an ASMR video. However, it is a good start.
Mechanics like Eric achieve the easy flow of doing a repair from hundreds it not thousands of similar repairs over their career.
For the DIY novice home mechanic, one method I believe that is the next best thing is to begin with an exercise that I like to call a "dry-run repair" (which we will discuss in more detail in a future post) to familiarize yourself with the tools and the process from disassembly to repair to reassembly. One good first-time example is taking apart and reassembling a simple 2-barrel carburetor---multiple times.
The goal of a dry-run exercise to build familiarity, knowledge, muscle memory and a level of comfort where you can do the breakdown and reassembly in front of someone, and then be able to teach someone else how to do it. The old see one, do one, teach one---with some modification. But you get the idea.
That's it for this post. Be sure to keep an eye open for a continuation and elaboration of this topic and a dry-run exercise in a future post.
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