“Music helps me to relax and reflect.”

“Music transports me to different times in my life.”

“Music helps me revive memories.”

“Music is the language of the soul.”

“Music helps me relax, but it also helps me when I need to get pumped up.”

“Music helps me really ‘feel the feelings.’ It also helps me memorize things.”

“Classical piano music helps slow my mind.”

“Music helps me with stress and anxiety.”

“Growing up in a hospital [due to complex medical needs], music was my therapy - before music therapy became mainstream.”

“Music became how I discovered my own confidence.”

“Music became the way I made friends.”

“Life would be so boring without music.”

Some amazing friends and family shared these thoughts with me when I asked for feedback as to how music affects people’s lives. Thank you, guys!

Music is nothing short of amazing, in my opinion. Music bonded me with my late husband, and my current husband. My late husband reached out to me in response to me sharing a song I was obsessed with at the time. My current husband and I bonded over lots of shared musical interests, but also a shared dislike of country music. (Sorry to those who like it. Don’t hate me. Just not my preference!) Music was a big part of my late husband and our son calming down before bed when my son was a baby. *whew, got a little teary eyed with those memories*

Let’s get a little nerdy for a minute. Music literally affects and changes the brain.

Music impacts multiple parts of our brains- not just “left side versus right side” of the brain.

When our brains consume music, the auditory part of our brains are affected (somewhat obvious). Our visual cortex is affected if we are reading music, watching a video, or at a concert. The motor cortex is activated when we are tapping our feet, snapping our fingers, clapping along, drumming on the steering wheel. The cerebellum mediates emotional responses to the music being consumed. The hippocampus activates the memory bank when consuming music. Is it just me, or is this not super awesome?!

Hopefully you see that music is impactful. Now let’s look at how music can impact our mental health.

Music can lower stress. Music can lower anxiety. Music can improve depression. Music can help with grief. Music can be used as a grounding technique. Music can help us explain or understand something that our own brain can’t quite put into words. Music can bond us with others. Music is good for your brain health. Music can be a mood booster.

With all that being said, my hope is that you implement music into your brain and mental health. Here are some ways to do so:

Create playlists for yourself.

I have a “feel good” playlist for when I feel good and want some good tunes playing, or when I need a mood booster.
I have an instrumental playlist that I use when I need some ambient noise to work, or think.
I have a playlist of songs that are relevant to my marriage when I want to walk down memory lane, or feel emotionally close to my husband.
I have a kids playlist ready of songs my kids like so when we are driving to school, we can get in good moods with some good songs.

Listen to new-to-you music to explore and engage your brain in a different way.
When feeling stressed or anxious, listen to music with a moderate beat/tempo, then gradually bring the beat to your baseline.
Journal memories related to music. This can make for a great keepsake for yourself and/or family.
Check out live music!

I fully recognize that I have previously spoken to the great benefits of silence in our days. And I stand by that notion. Life is about balance. Sometimes we need silence. Sometimes we need ambient noise. Sometimes we need distraction of which music can be utilized. Find your balance.

I’m a wee bit passionate about music. This blog comes to you straight from my soul. Talking about music is always welcome in sessions with me. Implementing music to help with mental health will always be a skill I recommend to nearly everyone. Never hesitate to ask how you can use music to help you with whatever you have going on in your life- now or in the past.