The Article is Developed in Partnership with BetterHelp.
Few things in this world can be appealing to almost everyone, but music manages to achieve just that. Whether you’re into rap, hip-hop, rock, pop, jazz, gospel, Latin music, or something else entirely, there’s a genre for everyone. Music is more than a fun pastime; it’s also a powerful tool for improving mental wellness. Keep reading to learn more about how music can transform your mental health for the better.
The Impact Of Music On Mental Wellness
The following list describes several ways that music can help you heal, connect with others, and work toward becoming the strongest, healthiest version of yourself:
- Social connection: Sharing music with other people can help you find those who share your taste and interests, allowing you to make new friends and feel more connected to your community. Having strong relationships with others can help alleviate lonely feelings and give you people to lean on when life gets tough.
- Therapy tool: Music can be used during therapy sessions (known as music therapy) to help you find healing or relief from mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and more. Meeting with a therapist while listening to music can help put you at ease, allowing you to be more open about your thoughts and feelings and ultimately contributing to more positive outcomes in sessions. BetterHelp offers online music therapy, which may be ideal if you’d prefer to get this type of support from the comfort of your home.
- Mood booster: If you’re feeling down, sometimes throwing an upbeat song on your playlist or tuning the radio to a cheerful station can lift your spirits. Music can provide a distraction from your problems and remind you of the brighter sides of life. Certain songs may even bring you back to happy memories and help you remember that things will get better with time. Further, many artists detail their struggles in their songs, giving you someone to relate to when you feel alone.
- Creativity: Some types of music can get your creative juices flowing, specifically tunes that are happy. One study found that listening to happy music encourages divergent thinking and increases the number of ideas you can come up with, leading to more creativity. Creativity can be an important trait in the workplace, at school, and even at home, as it improves your ability to problem-solve, boosts your productivity, and helps you connect with others more easily.
- Stress reduction: Music can provide an effective way to cope with stress as well as other strong emotions like anger or sadness by allowing you to relax. When you utilize music as a coping strategy, you can calm your mind and think more logically about different situations, enabling you to manage your emotions instead of reacting poorly to them.
- Focus: If you’re studying for a test or trying to finish a big presentation for work, listening to music could be beneficial. Music activates both sides of the brain, helping to block out distractions and improve your cognition and ability to absorb new information. It can also promote concentration by making monotonous work seem more exciting. Keep in mind that listening to the right type of music can affect whether or not music promotes focus or distracts you even more. In general, choosing songs that you’re familiar with can be most effective in improving your concentration.
Other benefits of music extend beyond those listed above, many of which you can experience when you allow yourself to fully connect with what you’re listening to.
Conclusion
While music tends to be viewed as a hobby shared by the majority of people in the world, it can also serve as a form of therapy, bringing healing, comfort, and focus to those who need it. The beauty of music lies in its ability to apply to nearly any situation and any person, and this versatility is what can make it so powerful. Despite the specific challenges you’re facing, listening to music can help you reap numerous rewards for your mental well-being, contributing to a higher quality of life.