6 minutes
Music therapy is a sort of expressive arts therapy that involves a wide range of activities – such as listening to music, singing, and playing a musical instrument – to enhance and maintain an individual’s physical, psychological, and social well-being.
There are extra benefits to listening or creating music that talking therapies may not be able to offer. For instance, learning and practicing a piece of music can improve memory skills, coordination, reading comprehension, and math skills, and it can also give lessons in responsibility and perseverance.
It is suitable for people of any age and offers people a creative way of expressing their feelings. Music has become a part of people’s everyday life. The reason music has played such an important role is because of how it affects us.
Self-expression
Music is a powerful. It has the ability to influence our mood, and allows us to channel our emotions into creative endeavors. In these tough life moments, music can be a constructive way to express who you are and what you are feeling.
If you are feeling particularly sad about a reality in your life, listen to a song that connects you to that emotion. In the process of experiencing the power of self-expression by listening to all genres of music, you will be able to learn about yourselves.
Decrease anxiety
Music can be a convenient way to reduce symptoms of anxiety, as music allows you to tune in to your emotions as you play a song to direct your actions. If you have anxiety issues, you may use music as a means of escape.
Music also helps to distract. If you are anxious, turn up the volume in your living room and dance around. If you are angry, grab a pillow and hit is as hard as you can while listening to your favourite lyrics. Songs allow you to calm your nervous system and relax yourself.
Sleep disorders
Perhaps there’s nothing quite as frustrating as trying and failing to fall asleep. Sleep is a vital aspect of health and quality of life. Problems in sleep occur for a variety of reasons such as stress, insomnia, sleep disorders or old age, among others.
For some, music may help improve sleep. Soothing music can lower heart rate and relax your body. Low music ‘tunes’ your heartbeat toward the sleep zone. Making it a routine to listen to pleasant music every night may signal to your body that it’s time to rest and you may able to fall asleep faster. Trust your own musical choices over generic ‘sleep’ playlists.
Relieve stress
While some genres of music, such as classical and ambient, have long been studied for their calming effects, listening to your particular favourite music, regardless of genre, has its own set of advantages.
If you are looking for something to lower your stress levels during certain activities or to help you feel more relaxed overall, give your chosen calm-inducing music a go. Relaxation music and sounds have been proven to help alleviate anxiety and kick start a feeling of peace. So, turn the music on.
Music therapy for sure helps with mental health conditions but there are also few other benefits, such as improving communication, expanding knowledge and cultural awareness, and improving cognitive skills such as memory.
If you have a busy day ahead that requires extra energy, try something that’s upbeat and makes you want to dance and smile. Hopefully, one day, music therapy will be recognised as a valid treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mental health illnesses, and people will be living again, all around the world.
