In today´s World it´s quite difficult to undergo a normal life without considering going to therapy, or at least having some sort of therapeutic moment. Since stress has become almost a recurrent problem even in young kids, the question arises whether is possible to live without therapy, or even have a tolerable job in such conditions, adding to this problem the fact that in the big metropolis or growing cities, transportation adds another stress dimension to our lives.
Actually, there are a lot of studies around the planet showing quite concerning data regarding our lifestyle and how much time do we spend under stress. And in terms of work (one of the key factors in modern stress), there are some countries and companies that are starting to try a four days’ work week with surpassing results, showing that not only stress in the workplace and at home was reduced, but also finding out that productivity was greatly increased.
There are also some other great therapies, aside from regular therapists, which are showing really good results, even in the long stretch. There are some investigators that are even treating stress and post traumatic syndromes with some revolutionary and low dose drugs, like Psilocybin present in some kind of mushrooms, with low to none residue, also finding some surpassing evidence that there are some alternatives therapies that can have a great impact on stress and mental health issues.
And those words are the key to understanding what is going on in this technological yet stressful present, mental health has been for long a sort of “taboo” word that meant that you might have something really wrong, or maybe even “craziness”. This explains why therapists used to have such low numbers of attendants back in the 70´s and 80´s, with a great boom from the mid 90´s and finding ourselves in the great boom of therapists today.
Can music be the cure?
The answer can be yes, but also no, as with some drugs, it depends on how your organism can tolerate them, and of course, if they have some meaningful impact on your mental health. For example, there are many medics that are criticizing the massive use of commercial anti-anxiety drugs like Benzodiazepines or even the more powerful anti-depression drugs like Prozac, Effexor or Remeron, since the side effects tend to be quite strong, and in many cases, the rates of addiction tends to be quite high.
So how can you playlist be your therapist? How can some simple notes and resonances go so deep in your body to change the way you feel? And the answer is in resonances, vibrations and other effects of sound in our body, which can “tune up” to what we are feeling and completely change the way stress is affecting us. And when we mention that the answer can be “no”, it means that not all music if for everybody, for example there are people that can´t tolerate Korean Pop, and for some teenagers it´s great music, and they feel happy when they hear it, reducing their stress levels.
Some people relax to classical music, and it really lowers their stress levels to points that they can no longer feel it, completely curing them. So it´s a trial and error, sometimes it might be the best new album on a paid platform, but some others it might be some royalty free music, composed by an artist that has great passion for what they do and their objective isn´t being rich, but on the contrary to help people any way they can.
In YouTube there are some examples or “brown noise”, a certain frequency that investigators have found that has a “natural resonance” with our body, and can help us relax in a very natural way. In fact, it´s really helpful with children having crisis, especially with babies that can´t talk or understand and are having trouble sleeping. There are also adults that combat stress and insomnia with this kind of sound, it isn´t precisely music, but some turn to it for stress relief.
Help it work
There are also some other factors that will make music therapy much more effective, like taking baths in a bathtub can really help music relax you, since there are physical factors that will take place like better circulation, relaxation of tense muscles, and many other. It´s part of what some medics call “taking time for yourself”, a keystone of mental health in modern days, like leaving the phone aside, getting off social media for some time, and having a relaxing moment for yourself, while listening to those tunes that makes you smile, or have that Goosebumps effect in your skin, it might be Pink Floyd for some, for others a Beyoncé live concert, it doesn´t matter, as long as it works.
Go out for a run and take your headphones with you, go outside and enjoy the day in a quiet place, take the dog for a walk while listening to music, it will really change your life. Even when going to work, making the trip much more enjoyable, even when the surrounding aren’t, music can make everything better. Ask permission in your work, to have some off time, and just relax while listening to music, the results will be significant.