Music is the voice of the soul – well, that’s what it has been described as. In these challenging times where our world has come to a halt and we have no idea how to fulfil some sense of normality back into our lives, music is the answer…
“Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives”, the same unified message we are all used to by now. However, even though we are doing a great job of this not only as individuals but as a nation, for some of us it will start to take a toll on our mental health.
In difficult times it is becoming harder to find ways to calm ourselves down and cope with the insecurity around us. An answer to this problem (for me especially) is music.
There is the notion that music has an influence on your thoughts and feelings. These psychological effects of music can be powerful for our wellbeing. From my personal experience, I find this to be true as listening to some of my favourite artists and songs takes me into some sort of trance (don’t worry, I’m not hypnotised) that takes my mind away from the stresses and anxieties from what is going on.
I will admit, I am an overthinker and if I am not doing something, whether that’s hanging out with my friends or doing university work, I will think about every little detail that tends to cause some of stress in my life.
Especially since being home and away from Nottingham, there are some reminders of my hometown that leads to me overthinking and I just wish I could get these out of my head. Since being in lockdown, I cannot obviously do things like hang out with my friends (neither can anyone else, as we’re all in the same boat) and I seem to, again, be overthinking everything.
However, to boost my mood I take the initiative and take to my Spotify and start listening to some of my favourite playlists. If you were to look at my Spotify then it would be a random variety of songs. My lockdown playlist has included a throwback to my fan-girl days of a 15-year old me obsessing over One Direction (however due to lockdown the fan girling days have returned!).
Then I go on to listening to the music of The Beatles that not only relieves me of stress with their endless repertoire of hits but also brings back memories of my childhood when me and my mum would put The Beatles’ Number Ones on tape (yes, that’s right I said tape) and drive down the A1 in her little Ford Fiesta on the way to visit my Nan.
It not only brings a smile to my face but reminds me of happier and more innocent times where all I had to worry about was whether Gabriella would come back to Troy in High School Musical 2 (spoiler alert, she does).
By listening to all my favourite music during lockdown, I am able to distract myself from my overthinking and not let myself become stressed and anxious in times where I need to try keep calm in unprecedented circumstances.
If you are feeling any stress or anxiety during this lockdown then I urge you to listen to any of your favourite music as like I said above, it takes you into your own world and takes you away from what is going on at the moment; even if it is just for a minute.
The great thing about all these music streaming services we have like Spotify is there are endless amounts of playlists available that can be suited for any occasion whether that’s a playlist reflective of your mood or something like a throwback to the noughties.
The only downside to me listening to all my favourite songs is my failed attempt at belting out some of my favourite tunes (queue the sympathy for my parents). That’s why it’s probably best I keep my singing to the shower!
By Katie Green