There’s a lot of research out there on the benefits of music on our mood and overall wellbeing. This may come as a surprise to some people but for those who have been listening to music for awhile to help regulate their mood can attest to it being beneficial. It’s by no means a cure but is certainly something to consider having in your tool box of ways to help you manage difficult emotions when they arise. Here are 5 ways music can help you to manage your wellbeing.
1. Music is a great distraction. When we notice that we’re starting to get a little uncomfortable, music can be a great way to provide a distraction and help shift our focus from the unhelpful thoughts that are racing through our mind to the rhythm, beat and tempo of the music we’re listening to.
2. Music can help you express how you’re feeling. When we’re feeling distressed, our natural response is to start to fight the distress by wanting to problem solve. When we struggle in this way it can make the feelings we’re experiencing a lot more intense because we become pre-occupied with it and it feels like we cannot then think of anything else. When you listen to music that is consistent to the mood that you’re feeling, it can help you to express and release the emotions that you’re feeling because it is a safe and non-threatening way to express your emotion. If you’re feeling sad and you listen to a whole bunch of gut-wrenchingly sad songs that enable you to have a cry and release your emotion you can feel a sense of relief about it afterwards. Same goes for angry songs, songs that relate to envy, so on and so forth.
3. Music can help to lift your mood. Having just described how listening to music that is consistent with what you’re feeling can be beneficial, the same goes for music that is inconsistent with the mood that you’re feeling. It’s not surprising that music can be uplifting and is great to listen to when we’re feeling down since it releases feel good hormones that help boost our mood such as dopamine and seratonin.
4. Music helps you to move your body. It’s hard to resist moving our bodies when we’re listening to music. When we move our bodies to music, we’re releasing endorphins which help lift our mood.
5. Music can help with sleep. Several research studies have looked at the benefits of listening to classical music before bed and have found that those who listen to classical music before bedtime have better quality sleep than those who listen to an audiobook. The impact of classical music is one where it helps to reduce sympathetic nervous system activity (the one responsible for activating our fight/flight/freeze response), which in turn helps us to relax and sleep.
While music is not the cure to managing our overall sense of wellbeing, it is a piece of the puzzle that would be a great skill to have in your toolbox. For more information and guidance on treating depression and anxiety please give our team a call to arrange an appointment on (03) 9882-8874.
This blog was written and prepared by Dr Celin Gelgec – Clinical Psychologist and Director here at MWG.