Music & Mental Health - The Understated Symbiosis
Music can have a surprisingly powerful impact on our mental health.
Whether it’s playing or listening to music, many people feel a strong connection to it.
This isn't just an opinion from some randomer on the internet: Researchers from McGill University in Montreal have found evidence that music releases dopamine (that feel-good chemical in your brain)
There are even blogs from people describing their personal experiences with music and how it has helped their mental health ("Music sets me free from the prison I feel inside my head" - Laura via Mind)
Plus there’s always that notable author of beloved fairy tales, who is so often quoted regarding the value of music:
"Where words fail, music speaks" - Hans Christian Andersen
Music, similarly to many other forms of media/pass-times (such as reading) can serve as a relieving distraction from the negative thoughts that may be circulating around our heads.
Whatever we may be feeling, from loss / heartbreak to anger / frustration, music can help us.
Different genres of music may illicit different responses, all depending on the listener's mentality and taste:
Some people will feel that listening to music allows them to calm down and "zone out", not only detracting from their surroundings but also taking their focus away from any hurt, thereby distancing themselves from negative feelings and finding a sense of peace;
Conversely, other people may feel that music empowers them to face their feelings, reflecting on their circumstances and giving them an internal space to examine what has transpired and their place n theevents;
Alternatively, some people may even use music in a different way, and sing/dance along to a rhythm, thereby expressing themselves as an outlet;
The benefits listed above, alongside various other unmentioned forms of support / motivation, are a testament to how beneficial music can be, despite it being an environmental factor that is often overlooked.
It's not just listening to music that can help: I've known many friends & colleagues who vouch that playing music can be massively beneficial - Having a means of creatively expressing oneself like this, can help people in more ways than some folk can ever imagine.
From an early age I've found it cathartic to tap along to the beat of music, whether I'm finding things difficult or just want to lose myself in the moment, I enjoy using percussion as a physical outlet.
That sense of metronomic rhythm later proved quite useful when I started boxing as a hobby, yet in spite of using boxing as a physical outlet, I still haven't been able to shake the feeling that I should one day get back into drum lessons as a creative outlet.
My relationship with different genres and artists has developed a lot over the years, yet I still have a soft spot in my heart for Nickelback... As you can imagine, I was always one of the 'cool kids' at school(!)
I currently listen to a lot of songs released by NF - Listening to these songs, I've felt that the lyrics that Nate (the rapper) writes have helped me to identify and to express some of the thoughts that I previously couldn't describe/explain.
When I've found myself unable to grasp my own emotions, there are times where music has helped me contemplate and understand myself.
I recall back in 2019 when I first listened to Let You Down, a song that struck a chord with me; Similarly, I loved Time when I later gave that a listen.
Those two songs notwithstanding I somehow found many of his other releases to be unappealing to me, until the tail-end of 2020 when I reflected on certain experiences throughout my life, and remembering the lyrics helped me to discover a whole new appreciation for what Nate was trying to convey.
At this point, I recognised my perception had taken a complete 180° turn, as my taste had changed.
All of the lads I play video games with worship Mick Gordon (#RipAndTear)
Taste is subjective and may alternate wildly between any two people: My best friend loves Oh Wonder, one of my closest friends loves Bring Me The Horizon, two other close mates love Slipknot, and all of us grew up bopping out to S Club 7.
Everyone will vibe with music in their own way, because everyone's taste is idiosyncratic.
Additionally, our individual tastes are very possibly subject to change, which is the fantastically unique part of being human.
As my appreciation for music has grown, so have I, and vice versa.
Over the years, I've spent incalculable hours listening to NF and really empathising with the life that Nate talks about in his songs - To that end, I don't know if I'll ever quite be able to put into words how much emotional stability his music has provided to me...
> When I've been feeling isolated, his songs helped me feel heard and understood > When I've been unable to vocalise my feelings, his songs spoke for me > When I've been fighting dark thoughts, his songs made me feel empowered > When I've been at my whit's end, his songs compelled me to pull through
Throughout all of those times, sitting by myself in a quiet house, I somehow didn't feel alone: As I listened, it was just myself and the music, with nothing else in the world to worry about.
So it's not an exaggeration to say that music has rescued me.
