We always use music to change or deepen the ways we’re feeling making it perfect for psychotherapy and self-help. However, the art lies in finding the right sort of music that connects with one’s mood. We share a few guidelines.
Memory: Try a song that brings back memories. Sometimes if we hear a certain song it can bring back a lot of memories be it romantic, sad, happy or funny. Music can help us feel nostalgic and often helps us in reconnecting with moments and memories. When working with elderly people who are suffering memory loss, if they hear a favorite old song it can bring back happier times. Music helps to have a sense of continuity.
Anxiety: Try Drumming or beat boxing. We all have a different inner peace or rhythm and anxiety disrupts this because it triggers the flight instinct. Anxiety amounts to bottled up unexpressed energy.
The art lies in finding the right sort of music that connects with your mood. Thankfully, you don't need to be musical or a skilled musician to use music to help your performance or to enhance your mood. Drums or beat boxing relieve tension or the symptoms of anxiety. Both mediums involve release through energetic, physical movement and sound and this can distract you from the repetitive worrying thoughts that come with anxiety.
Focus: Listen to your favourite playlist or learn an instrument. Listening to your favorite playlist can help to settle your heart rate and distract you from disturbing external noises. In this way you can take stock of your surroundings and feel more comfortable. Focus and resolve is improved through patiently discovering how to co-ordinate the different aspects of playing an instrument.
Learning instrument demands a focus on your own music as well an ability to listen to how it all fits together so that you are aware of all that is going on around you.
This is a discipline that involves multi-tasking, but it can help to you to focus and discover how to go with the flow of the music whilst connecting to others.
Motor Skills: Try gentle singing as it involves rhythm which is central to the improvement of motor skills. Music is used in physical training to help with motor skills by working on diagonal coordination, balance, eye coordination and muscle memory by connecting the mental and physical processes.
Depression: Try classical music if you suffer from insomnia which may be may be linked to stress and anxiety or to early morning wakening which is a symptom of depression. If you wake up too early feeling afraid, sad or lonely, try putting the radio on for company – then you may feel less alone.
Have the volume just low enough to hear and choose your favourite radio station.
Academic Performance: You could practice a musical instrument. This is associated with enhanced verbal ability, the ability to work things out and improved motor co-ordination. Individual instrumental lessons give a person confidence, better physical coordination and improved attention span and mental processing.
Exercise Motivation: Try anything you like at 145 beats per minute. Research has shown that music can sustain activity for longer as well as help distract from pain and fatigue.
Choosing music you actually like and enjoy is the essential first step, research has found, perhaps because enjoying music will make you feel comfortable and this will help enhance performance and allow you to exercise.
