Listen to music you love
We all know that feeling of excitement and grateful serendipity that occurs when one of your favourite songs comes on the radio. It happened to me last week 3 times in one day, and I felt really seen and hopeful all day. It lead me to start wondering why listening to old favourite tracks, and singing along to them (loudly!) if that is your style, brings up such enormous emotional value for us. It can be really easy to avoid listening to music when you are stressed, burnt out and under pressure, but it can be a really quick way of feeling good.
Part of the answer as to why music has such a strong emotional impact is that music activates large parts of the neural pathways of the brain, including the parts of the brain responsible for autobiographical memories, creativity and emotions[1]. Interestingly it also activates the part of the brain responsible for motor actions, which may be one reason why we are able to remember the moves from ‘The Macarena’, all these years later, but also goes some way to explaining why music therapy is so effective.
The effect of music activating the emotional parts of our brains is that in times of emotional strain or difficulty, the emotional centres of our brains are literally triggered into feeling happier emotions, overriding the negative thoughts that may be lingering, if only temporarily. This serves to give us immediate feelings of happiness, comfort and joy, gives us a deeper sense of connectivity with others, and also serve as a reminder to us that the current difficulties faced are only temporary, and that better times will return again. The memories and emotions associated with music from our teenage years are particularly strong.
Music also serves to remind us of who we are, in our core being. An article published by Forbes magazine confirms that ‘Familiar songs can transport us back to pivotal moments in our lives, reminding us of our values, aspirations and the experiences that made us who we are’ and that ‘nostalgia strengthens feelings of self-continuity—the sense that our past, present and future selves are connected’[2].
This feeling of living a life in accordance with our values, and a coherent sense of self are crucial to psychological well being, and form the groundwork for building your ideal future. When you are feeling overwhelmed, and struggling with stress, anxiety, trauma and burn out, it can be very easy to loose sight of these. Music is a quick and easy way to regain a sense of joy, connection and hope. Get your headphones on!
[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201312/why-do-the-songs-from-your-past-evoke-such-vivid-memories
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/05/08/a-psychologist-explains-3-mental-health-benefits-of-music-nostalgia/
