Everything that we do will impact on how we feel. But what about the music we listen to? I set up survey on my instagram and asked a variety of questions about music and I would like to share what I found.
Note: ALL ANSWERS ARE DIRECT FROM MY INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS AND ARE KEPT ANONYMOUS FOR THEIR PRIVACY.
First of all, do people believe that music can help deal with mental health issues? Over 50 responses came in for this and all said YES! Here are a few of the answers I received:
"I think so! Listening to music in contrast with how I feel shifts my mood to how I want to feels."
"It helps with dealing with our emotions...It makes us feel understood and valid"
"I 100% say it helps, but you need to be listening to the right music or you could end up triggering yourself"
Something that was brought up a few times though is that you need to be listening to the 'right' music or it could actually damage your mental state rather than help.
But what is the right music?
So, that brings us to the next question... What music helps you calm down?
There where so many different responses here and it blew my mind how different everyones answers where. This just goes to show that we all have our own taste and that will impact what we find calming and comforting. Here are a few answers I received:
"Classical or instrumental"
"Heavy metal"
"Video game music"
"slow lofi music"
We now know that music can help calm you down, but is is good for helping depression? I asked about this and here are some answers I got:
"No, when we are down we often forget music is there"
"We feel less alone when we have music on so yeah it helps"
"I always try, but its about 60:40 as to if it works or not"
These answers indicate a mixed response to music when feeling depressed. This could depend on if you are depressed for a direct reason or if its just how you are. Both are valid but its interesting to think about as to if that impacts on if we have a positive or negative reaction.
On a more positive note I asked, what song can make you happy no matter what? and this was just to show that even if you like a different type of music than someone else, it doesn't matter so long as its making you smile and be happy. Here are some of those answers:
"Don't panic by Coldplay"
"Better when I'm dancing by Meghan Trainor"
"Holiday by Green Day"
"Thats Amore by Dean Martin"
We all have different taste in music and its important to appreciate that and accept that we all like different things. But something that happens way too often is bullying. I asked if people have ever been shamed for their music taste. I got over 100 responses to this question. Only 9 people said no...
This tells me that people are getting bullied, hurt, shamed, or excluded based on something as small as their music taste and that is not okay. Just because you don't like what someone else does, doesn't give you permission to make them feel bad about it. If listening to the damn Shrek soundtrack is what makes someone smile then just be happy for them!!! There are much bigger problems in the world than someones music taste.
While music can be great for making us feel better and escaping reality, do we have any songs that we associate to mental health? The answer is yes! You can make your own meaning with any song and if you think something explains your anxiety, or relates to your depression, then you can make that the meaning of that song for you. This is a personal thing for everyone and is about each individual finding a connection to music. Here are some mental health songs that where suggested:
"How to save a life by The Fray"
"Breathe me by Sia"
"Idontwannabeyou by Billie Eilish"
"Control by Halsey"
"Dog by Andy Bull"
And finally the last question I asked everyone was 'would you recommend that people with mental health issues listen to music to help them feel better?'
Here are some answers:
"Yeah because it can be grounding and help you focus and keep your mind busy"
"Absolutely, its a nice escape and distraction"
"100%"
To conclude this post I would like to summarise the findings to this survey.
Music is powerful in that it can impact on our mental health without us fully realising. It can help us calm down, ground, stay focused, and make us feel better. The most important thing is t find the music that makes you happy, not what makes others happy. You will have your own favourite songs and you own reactions to different genres, just find what is most helpful for you. NEVER be ashamed about what makes you happy because if putting on that one song will make you smile, then just do it. Music is a free tool that you can access so long as you have a CD player, free Spotify account, or YouTube! Its a resource that we can use to empower and heal.
I would like to thank everyone who answered my survey as this post wouldn't have been possible without your cooperation and input. I love and appreciate you all so much!
Stay tuned for my next post and until then, keep smiling :)
Jen xx
Wow what an interesting read! I for one need music playing no matter what I'm doing- it helps me get through the day!