mix tape with mental health in mind

 “Music is therapy. Music moves people. It connects people in ways that no other medium can. It pulls heart strings. It acts as medicine.”- Macklemore 

What if I told you that historians believe the earliest form of music came before language was ever created? That it was created as a way to express feelings and emotions through sound and rhyme. This allowed for the brain to feel connected to the body and synchronized with the vibrations that were produced.

I don’t know about you, but that honestly blows my mind!  

The psychological effects of music can be powerful and wide-ranging. So much so that the benefits of music on our overall health have been researched extensively. 

 Some of this research suggests that music:

• Triggers activity in the same part of the brain that releases dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure.

• Can relieve symptoms of depression by helping to releaseserotonin in the brain

• Can help to release oxytocin, a chemical that fosters the ability to connect to others

• Has been shown that blood flows more easily when music is played, which can reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure.

• Can reduce stress by triggering biochemical stress reducers.

• Has been shown to stimulate memories

• Triggers networks of neurons into an organized movement

• Can affect the way you perceive the world around you, like listening to happy vs. sad music

• Can help increase physical performance while at work or working out

• Can improve fine motor and reasoning skills when you learn an instrument

• Changes your heartbeat to mimic the music that you listen to

• Was found to be equipped in those as small as a developing fetus 

To put it plainly, as the great Rihanna once said, “Please Don't Stop the Music”.

So put on your favorite song and blast it as high as it goes. Go out to that karaoke bar and sing until your voice is gone. Dance until you can’t feel your legs. Sing in your car/shower like you are on stage. Go to that concert that you have been dreaming about.

Just let that music wash over you and feel the rhythm connect with your emotions. Allow yourself to be in that moment and let the music take you away. Staying wild as you feel the beat pump through you. 

PS please enjoy this photo of your everyday therapist staying wild and prickly