Shift Your Mindset With Music
One of the fastest ways I have found to shift my mind frame from negative to positive is with music. Just last week I found myself in a bit of a funk. My family recently moved and with that has come a slew of mental and physical stress. I was wiped out, and on this particular day, grumpy! I was about to pick up my kids from school and I did not want my mood to effect them. I began one of my phrases I say to myself as I drove across town to get the kids. I felt the shift begin and in that moment of clarity what came to me was to listen to some music. I turned my on stereo and the blue tooth picked up what I had been listening to a few days prior, Mumford and Sons.
Literally within minutes I was feeling the music, singing and moving to it. I felt it coursing through me and changing my vibration! By the time I got to my kids 10 minutes later, I was calm, peaceful and a bit joyous. In 10 minutes I went from wanting to rip someones head off to smiling and joyful, simply because I turned some of my favorite music on.
As I write this my piano is being tuned. Just listening to this man play a quick tune to check his progress brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart, setting the pace for a positive day. Music is therapy and its a therapy we can generally get instantly and for free.
Take a few minutes and think about the music you like. Realize how accessible it is to you and make a plan for when you feel off in any way. This may be anxiety, frustration, anger, fear, irritability, grief or any other emotion that comes to your mind that does not feel good. And of course, listening to music when you are happy and joyful is also a great idea as it will amplify those feelings. I also find that listening to music boosts my creativity. If I am feeling stuck, I may turn some on to elevate that creative mood I am in.
Here are a few albums that I listen to when I am in need of an energy shift or letting go of emotion built up in me.
Peter Kater, Elements series: Fire (Piano w/ other instrumental)
-I listen to this album when I am in contemplation of how I am feeling. I especially use this album when I am processing grief. This is also one of the albums I will go to for creativity because it is so good at drawing out my emotions. I can harness those emotions and build from them in my writing.
Jami Sieber, Timeless (Cello)
-I also listen to this album when I am feeling the need to release grief or anger. Sometime it will allow me a much needed cry that moves the emotion though and out of me. Soon I will find my mind clearing and the strong emotion easing which paves the pathway back to calm.
Mumford and Sons, Delta (Folk Rock)
- I love these guys! I will listen to them anytime for any reason. I particularly love this album when I am happy and just want to groove and sing. However, this album will shift me out of a heavy place within minutes. Probably because I love to groove and sing to it. It is one of the first albums to come to my mind when I’m in a funk and need to create a better mind space and attitude.
You will undoubtedly have your own list coming to your mind as you read this. Take a few minutes and think about how you feel when you listen to some of your favorite music. When in doubt and nothing comes to your mind, flip the radio on and find something that resonates with you in the moment. You can also search up SoundCloud. This is a great platform for artists to get their music out to the public.
Another form of healing through music is Sound Therapy. Tools such as tuning forks, gongs and/or sound bowls are used to calm the nervous system and realign the energies in your body. This method can be sought out for both emotional or physical healing. Jane Miners is a local Sound Healer that I often refer my patients to.
I have included a few links below to some studies and articles that focus on music and its positive effects on mental health as well as its benefits as a healing method.
https://jedfoundation.org/resource/how-music-can-improve-your-mental-health/
