You just had a “passionate” (code word for heated) conversation with a friend. Your emotional state is not in the most resourceful place. You decide to turn on your favorite radio station as you drive to the office. One of your favorite songs just happens to be on, and your anxiety instantly melts away. The conversation has become a fleeting memory as you move and groove to the beat, belting it out as if you were on stage in front of thousands of people. You are pumped up and your badass self is ready to conquer the day.
Our focus this week is on Music, the language of the soul and as old as humanity. Therapeutic benefits can be traced back in time to ancient shamanistic rituals. People are born with an ability to distinguish between music and noise. Our brains are able to process pitch, melody, rhythm and tempo. Research has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. When you hear a song that moves you, your brain releases dopamine, a chemical that elevates your mood. It also has the power to evoke feelings of sadness and fear.
Little did you know that when you’re driving and listening to the local radio station, or your favorite playlists, you’re actually healing. Studies suggest that there are positive impacts on health. The benefits are many.
- Music with a strong beat can stimulate brain waves to sync with the beat. Faster beats can stimulate sharper concentration and more alert thinking. Slower tempo promotes a calm meditative state.
- Alterations in brainwaves change bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate.Listening to soothing music can reduce your heart rate and blood pressure.
- Music helps to keep depression and anxiety at bay, bringing a more positive state of mind and increased optimism.
- It helps to reduce stress, anxiety and muscle tension.
- Music can accelerate exercise. Doing cardio to music that has high beats per minute will push you to another level. It will boost your mental and physical simulation and improve overall performance. It will also divert your attention from repetitive movements that may cause fatigue, exhaustion and maybe some boredom!
- It has the ability to reduce your perception of pain through the release of endorphins, which act as natural pain killers.
- Soothing music promotes sound sleep.
- There is a unique connection between music and spirituality. It is one of our most powerful gateways to connect with our divine source as well as the universe around us. Think about the soundtracks that accompany some of your deepest guided mediations.
So, it’s time to create your personalized MusicTherapystrategy. If any of the benefits listed above will enhance your life, then it’s time to Tuneup your life through this powerful medium.
- Look at your current music library. Are there songs that you’ve heard on the radio that make you want to dance – or maybe even snap your fingers? Go online and purchase the songs and start a playlist.
- Create playlists of your favorite music. You could have an upbeat one for working out. Or a soothing one to relax and heal. You can create a romantic one so that you have it available when you’re in the mood. The beauty is that they reflect your individual tastes, and what moves you when you listen to them. This time, it’s all about you, baby!
- If you’re an athlete, create playlists that stimulate you to push yourself beyond your limits and increase your performance.
- Play music in the background as you work; music that will push you and inspire you to create and produce at your highest potential.
- Schedule time in your day for a music therapy session. A study showed that listening to a half-hour of soothing music twice daily for two weeks resulted in significantly greater reductions in stress and anxiety levels.
- Take a bath with your favorite salts, bath ball or bubbles and put on some relaxing music.
Music can help you achieve unbelievable results in your overall health as well as enhance your well-being. Make it a part of your daily lifestyle and make an immense difference in the quality of your life.
~xoxo Loren
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“Music is one of the most powerful things the world has to offer. No matter what race or religion or nationality or sexual orientation or gender that you are, it has the power to unite us.” – Lady Gaga
“Singing is a way of releasing an emotion that you sometimes can’t portray when you’re acting. And music moves your soul, so music is the source of the most intense emotions you can feel.” – Amanda Seyfried
