Using music to boost mental health is nothing new. In fact, it’s a strategy that has been used for easing everything from stress to depression for thousands of years, including in documented history from ancient civilizations. It is an accessible tool that can have an immediate and lasting impact on our overall wellbeing. The great news is that by making the right song selections, you can help to support your own wellness in a simple, drug-free, affordable way.
Background Music to Boost Mental Health and Enjoyment
By playing songs you like in the background of your day, you can help your mind to focus, relax, or simply enjoy the current moment. There is no single specific song that is best to use as music to boost mental health. That said, it’s typically recommended that the mood of the tune should reflect the mood you’re trying to achieve. As such, loud, angry music is rarely good for this practice, even if you love it. There’s nothing wrong with those tunes, they’re just not meant for this purpose.
Instead, find songs you like that are calming, soothing, bubbly, happy, or otherwise reflect what you want to achieve in a given moment. Relaxing background music can help you to focus on the task at hand and keep stress to a minimum. In fact, some schools have started playing background songs of this nature for that very purpose.
Increasing Confidence and Empowering You
Beyond setting the right mood, playing the right tunes can also offer an affordable, accessible way to give your confidence, motivation, and sense of empowerment a hand. If you find yourself feeling hesitant or sluggish on a given day, pay attention to that feeling and play a song – or a whole playlist – of upbeat tunes that will invigorate you.
Enhancing Connections with Others
When you’re using music to boost mental health, this doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to do it alone. Songs have an incredible social aspect to them. By sharing a song that truly moves or inspires you, you can help to enhance connections and conversations with others. You’ll also help to form new positive memories of the experiences that give some oomph to the relationships you have with them as well.
Music to Boost Mental Health on Another Level
While you’re using music to boost mental health, open yourself up to judgment-free movement. Give yourself the opportunity to sway at your desk or, if you’re at home – or with friends for that matter – move the way the tune makes you want to move. Not only is this good for your mental and emotional wellness on its own, but so is physical activity, giving a secondary boost to your mood and mental health.
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