Playing music can have surprising mental health benefits.
I always say you should have happy hobbies, and healthy hobbies. Music, as it turns out, is a little bit of both. I used to play piano when I was younger.
Over the years I’ve kind of gone in other directions in terms of my hobbies, but recently I started playing piano again. I can’t tell you how cathartic it is to just spend time making music. I’ve even branched into learning the guitar.
Music therapy can be a lot of different things, from writing songs, to making music, or even just listening to it.
You can go to an actual music therapist for a more structured treatment, or just commit to spending a portion of your time every week engaging in music, however that may manifest for you.
Music has been shown to improve mood, enhance quality of life, help improve coping skills, allow for emotional expression, combat depression and sleep disorders, and relieve stress and anxiety.
As you know, stress and anxiety can lead to a lot of other health issues in both the mental and physical realms, so music and music therapy are great ways to deal with it.
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A friend of mine spent some time in the cancer wing with his mother, and he noted that once he brought in a speaker and played relaxing music every day, the mood in the entire hospital wing changed, and it helped his mother cope through that trying time.
The best way that music and music therapy can help you is by allowing you a creative outlet to express emotion. I don’t have to tell you that music tends to create emotional connections, and your emotional maturity is important to your overall mental health.
So if you are feeling stressed out, or in need of a creative outlet, try music!