The Effects of Music on Mental Health

                  I have always found solace in music. In some of the darkest times of my depression I have turned to music to cope with all that I was struggling with. I’ve written before about Grace Slick’s song “Let It Go” and how it saved my life when thoughts of suicide overwhelmed me. To read that post click here: Hope After Suicidal Thoughts

                  I use music as a companion when I am depressed. There are playlists set up on iTunes on my phone. These lists include songs that speak to me and songs that comfort me. I also really enjoy live music. Being at concert calms me. I get lost in the music, especially when the featured act is one of my favorite bands. 

                  Thinking about how music helps me led me to research the effects of music on mental health. Let’s look at the information about music and mental health.

                  Both scientific and clinical research have found that music supports mental health. Areas where music can have an impact include stress reduction, mood enhancement, improved sleep, emotional expression and processing, social connection, mindfulness and presence, cognitive benefits, and depression and anxiety relief. 

                  Music promotes relaxation and stress reduction by lowering cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Research shows that listening to slow, instrumental music reduces heart rate and anxiety by activating parasympathetic nervous system. The song “Weightless” by Marconi Union has been scientifically shown to reduce anxiety by up to 65%. This was found in a 2011 study by Radox Spa and Mindlab International. While this study was not peer reviewed, it has been widely cited in sound therapy circles.

                  Another way music impacts mental health is by stimulating the release of dopamine, which is the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. Mood can be improved by listening to upbeat music. Listening to melancholic music can assist in processing sadness in a healthy way. Listening to “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles is a good mood lifting song. There are many others.  

                  Sleep is important to mental health. Listening to calming music before going to bed can lead to improvements to sleep quality. It reduces insomnia and helps a person fall asleep faster. Classical music or nature sounds are good options for improving sleep. I use meditative sleep music to help me fall asleep and stay asleep. I find that when I put this music on, I relax and fall asleep faster.

                  Often, we find it difficult to express our emotions. Music can provide an outlet for expressing emotions. Sometimes when we cannot talk about an emotion, music can do it for us. Whether it is writing lyrics or listening to lyrics that we relate to, music helps us process emotions. For me the lyrics of “Let It Go” provide an opportunity to process emotions. Other songs that provide that outlet for me include “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks, “Crystal Ball” by Styx, and “All I Know So Far” by P!nk. What songs help you? Share in the comments. 

                  Music can lead to social connection when we play music in groups or listen to music with others. Choirs and drum circles are examples of how people can come together to share in music. The act of shared music reduces loneliness and promotes bonding.

                  Music can be a component of mindfulness and presence. During a meditation a person can use music as a focal point. Often, guided meditations use ambient music to enhance focus and inner awareness.  

                  Music can impact our cognitive abilities. Whether you are listening to music or playing music there are benefits such as enhanced memory, attention, and problem solving. Early in my teaching career I read research that showed how listening to the music written by Mozart improved mathematical skills. When I taught math, my students benefitted in many ways from the music. Music can also improve the cognitive functioning of people with dementia or brain injuries. 

                  When music is tailored to the individual, it can reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. My own experiences show this to be true. I imagine it is different from person to person. I have a friend who seems to disappear into the music of the Grateful Dead. You can actually see her mood lifting as the music plays. When I am depressed the music of Jefferson Airplane and Styx often envelops me in comfort, which lifts my mood. 

                  I thought about listing songs that can help with mental health. I even did an online search. As I thought about it, I realized we are each going to find different music powerful in our lives. We all have different taste. I think the key is exploring music to find what works for us. In college I knew a guy who lifted his mood by listening to hardcore metal music. That would not work for me, but it worked for him. I like a good classic rock song. Young people today listen to music that many of us older people would never consider listening to. But the music works for these young people. I encourage you to listen to music with the intent to find songs that are comforting to you and songs that have lyrics that are meaningful to you. We all have different music tastes. The song “Let It Go” saved my life because the lyrics spoke to me. Someone else might be turned off by that song. 

                  What’s your song? Share in the comments so we all can listen and possibly find new music that might be helpful to our mental health. 

 

Reflecting on Wonderful Moments in Our Lives

                  Aware that my last two posts have been heavy, I was thinking that I wanted to write something lighter.  I just didn’t know what I wanted to write about.  The lighter topics are harder for me to write because so often the darkness of my illnesses take center stage. 

                  On Saturday night I was able to do one of my favorite things for the first time since my cancer diagnosis.  I was able to go to a concert.  To ensure I protected my health, I wore a mask.  Listening to live music has always been healing for me.  Of course, if I was going to venture out to a concert it had to be my favorite band, Styx.  I don’t want to ramble on about the concert.  I will just say that it improved my mood, and I loved it.  There was a three to four-minute time in the concert that I want to share.  

                  A song really struck me.  It is one of their newer songs and while I have heard the song before, I don’t think I have ever heard them play it live.  The title of the song is “Our Wonderful Lives”, and it was written by Tommy Shaw.  The words of the song hit me as both a cancer patient and a person with depression.  I have been in a really dark place the last couple of weeks.  My depression has been in control of my life and prevented me from seeing any positives in my life.  I have been consumed by the negative.  That is something that is common when you are fighting illnesses, especially depression.  It is difficult to cope with these feelings. 

                  The opening lines of the song hit me. “It’s a brand new day and I’m tired of the uncertain. I’m throwing back the curtain for some sun on my face.” As Tommy Shaw sang these words, I was struck by the idea of each day being new.  Things have been uncertain for me.  I have faced uncertainty because my health insurance was canceled, and I am afraid of losing my healthcare team.  Uncertainty has surfaced with my depression in the sense that when the darkness gets as bad as it has been, I don’t know if I will pull through it.  Just as the song says, “I’m tired of the uncertain.”  When uncertainty is shrouded in darkness it becomes very difficult to live with.  I want it to just end.  

                  I often describe the times of healing as light.  I heard the light’s presence in the song.  “I’m throwing back the curtain for some sun on my face.”   As I heard these words sung at the concert, I realized I need to “throw back that curtain.”  In my mind he was singing about the light of healing.  I felt it fill me.  I realized that I need to search for the “sun”.  If I can “throw back the curtain” of depression and the mental effects of cancer, I can find healing.  I don’t mean to oversimplify it.  Looking for that sunlight is hard.  I am very aware that I can’t always do it on my own.  Sometimes I can open the curtain on my own.  Other times I need help.  That is a part of having illnesses.  Accepting help is crucial to finding the sun’s light.  

                  There is another part of the song that reminded me that there are wonderful things in my life even when I struggle to see them.  The song continues, “While the dark clouds hover nearby, we won’t give in yet. We shall not forget. We still have our wonderful lives.”  Wow!  Those words hit me during the concert.  It was as if the band was playing directly to me.  The dark clouds of depression and cancer are always nearby.  Despite that I have managed to keep trying to overcome my illnesses.  I haven’t given in yet.  I keep fighting even though the darkness is always nearby.

                  Just as important, there are “wonderful” things and people in my life.  Sometimes we don’t see the wonderful life that surrounds us.  We lose sight because the darkness of our illnesses can be so deep.  This song made me realize that there are many wonderful people and things in my life.  I have family members and friends who have helped me.  I have my health care team, both mental and physical, who are always by my side, lifting me up into the light.  I have my writing.  This blog, my journal, and the book I am writing all lift my mood and separate me from the darkness.  I have my art.  While I am not the best painter, I find joy in painting.  I have music.  Styx made me more aware of that Saturday night.  The words of a song threw back the curtain for me.           

                  When I need to remember that each day is a “brand new day”, I will listen to this song.  I will let it remind me that I haven’t given in to the darkness.  Even though it will be hard, I will try to focus some of my attention on the wonderful things in my life.  I realize that this is all easy for me to write here.  Doing it will be harder.  That difficulty is part of the territory with depression.  The darkness is often in charge.  It takes effort to see the sun’s light.  Healing is not a solitary process.   I need to remember that I have wonderful people I can reach out to when I need help.  There might be times when I need someone else to throw back the curtain for me.  Other times just reminding me to do it myself might be enough.  

The sun comes up each morning after the darkness of the night.  I need to convince myself that even though there are dark clouds in my life, there is also light.  A song brought me some insight into myself.  That is why I love live music.  This is not the first time a song has brought me healing.  I think that means I need to keep listening.  

Fighting My Way

           I’m sitting in the chair at chemo listening to music while the chemo drips into me.  As Grace Slick’s “Let It Go” was playing I was struck by a thought.  She refers to people telling her how she should sing a song.  She says she doesn’t care how others say she should sing.  She is going to sing whatever way she feels.  This song has always been important to me.  It has been an integral part of my battle with depression. Grace’s lyrics in this song have stopped me from attempting suicide in the past.  

Now in my cancer battle, the lyrics take on new meaning.  Sometimes I think I am supposed to feel a certain way because I have cancer.  I wonder if people are thinking I’ve got to fight a certain way.  I see people feeling sorry for me.  These feelings belong to other people.  No one can feel what I am experiencing.  My feelings are my feelings.  I’m going to experience them in my own unique way.  This battle is mine.  I will feel it in different ways.  I will be able to fight at times.  Honestly, I hope I can fight most of the time.  Realistically, I know there will be times when I don’t feel like fighting.  That’s okay.  This battle is going to take me on a roller coaster.

I appreciate others trying to understand, but in reality, only I can comprehend what I am going through.  I have contradictory thoughts as I mentioned the other day.  Those are difficult for others to understand.  Just the other day I told someone that I have accepted my bald head, but when I look in a mirror my reflection screams “cancer” back at me.  The person questioned how both can be true. How can I have accepted my hair loss and still hear cancer screamed at me when I see my reflection? That is the contradiction at work.  I have two illnesses, depression and cancer, vying for my attention.  They have different agendas.  These two illnesses each affect me in their own ways.  I respond to each differently. So, I will battle my way.  I will feel what I feel wholly and deeply.  I will react in whatever way I need to.  Like Grace Slick singing her songs whatever way she feels, I am going to fight depression and cancer whatever way I feel.  I can’t predict how this battle will end, but I must let everything go and fight the way I feel is right for me.

I ask that all of you continue to support me as I fight.  Know that even if I don’t always say it, having you by my side means a lot and is truly helping me.  Know that I am fighting the best way I know how.  Today a wise coaching colleague reminded me of Jimmy Valvano’s words, “Don’t’ give up, don’t ever give up!” That is how I am going to fight. I needed those words today.  Thank you, Coach.