Is Music The Antidote For Depression

In today’s busy, deadline-driven society, it is easy to feel the downward spiral caused by overwhelming stress and anxiety. Turning to music when you begin to fill the increase in tension from deadlines and traffic jams can help alleviate your stress and give you a calming effect in order to continue with your vigorous regimen.

Music has the ability to quickly shift moods, affecting the subconscious mind and giving a more positive outlook on life. Starting your day out right with relaxing and inspiring music can actually help you begin your day feeling more calm and less stressed than if you begin your day with a loud, blaring alarm or worse yet, waking up to the morning news on your clock radio.

Beginning a morning ritual and staying consistent with waking up to inspiring and positive music can take your mind away from the worries of yesterday, today and tomorrow. You can even take your positive outlook on the day to another level by singing along. Sing in the shower, sing in the car, sing anywhere. You can sing acapella or with the radio and you don’t have to be a good singer. The idea is to feel less stressed and more relaxed.

Research unfortunately shows that the human brain is built with a negative bias. It is believed to be because of the need for survival and self-preservation that began during pre-historic times. The brain is made to actually be geared toward the more negative thoughts than positive ones. For this reason, it takes desire and will power to train the brain to think more positively and to overcome depression and anxiety. Music can actually help reprogram your brain to look at life more positively.

Adding music to your daily routine can transform your mind into feeling more centered, relaxed and joyful. Engaging in positive thinking along with a melody can help reprogram the brain, change general demeanor and adjust the outlook on life, making you less susceptible to stress.

Music is also a great addition to your daily exercise routine. Whether you walk, run, play sports or workout at the gym, adding music to your fitness activities is one of the best ways to eliminate built-up tension.

Getting stuck in a traffic jam is an easy way to become stressed out quickly. Fear of being late, missing an appointment and general frustration all come along with gridlock. However, getting stressed out doesn’t change the situation. What you can do is use the time you are alone in your car to meditate and think about the positive things in your life. Relax with your favorite music selection and sing along with your favorite songs. The time you spend commuting back and forth to work or school is a perfect time to practice shifting your mood through music. Spending time secluded in your car can actually be a time that you learn to destress, release tension and lift your spirits.

Having the right background music to listen to while at work can also put everyone in a better mood and make a stressful work environment more appealing...especially when dealing with different personalities in the work place. Sharing musical preferences and discovering new genres with coworkers can help build stronger interpersonal relationships, as well as mask potentially annoying distractions in noisier work environments.

Another great idea to help ease stress is to unwind at the end of the day by listening to your favorite tunes. People often follow the habit of going home after a long, hard day at the office and turning on the evening news, flipping through the channels or getting on the internet to catch up with the latest social media posts. Instead, try putting on headphones and simply allow your favorite music selections to help you unwind.

Music is powerful and can truly affect perception, emotions and overall physical wellbeing. As much as music can relax you, it can also ignite you. Songs that seem happier can often lighten the mood quickly and bring back fond memories. Even sad songs can sometimes help process heavy emotions that you may need to move through in order to feel more emotionally balanced.