{"id":809,"date":"2020-09-11T18:35:35","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T18:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/?p=809"},"modified":"2020-09-11T18:35:38","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T18:35:38","slug":"seven-ways-you-already-use-music-for-self-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/11\/seven-ways-you-already-use-music-for-self-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Ways You Already Use Music for Self-Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>This article was originally published on <\/span>YourTango.com<\/span><\/a>, and is republished here with permission of the author, Bill Protzmann.<\/span>\n

Seven Ways You Already Use Music for Self Care<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a self-validating truth: music is medicine \u2013 for your body, your mind and your soul<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Scientists call them \u201canecdotal evidence,\u201d and you hear the stories all the time: Classical music makes you smarter; distance runners use music for enhanced endurance; some songs just put you in the mood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s leave the \u201cwhy\u201d aside for a moment and take a look at your natural desire for music and what happens when you hear it.<\/span><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 Your favorite love songs \u2013 the ones that really do it for you<\/b><\/p>\n

Admit it: some of your music reaches right into your heart and unlocks all the beauty and closeness of being in love whenever you hear them. <\/span>Scientists talk about dopamine<\/span><\/a> but let\u2019s be honest: don\u2019t you really enjoy the shivers down your spine when you hear a favorite song? These tremors are actually very health-giving in ways science is just beginning to understand for things like <\/span>releasing traumatic memory<\/span><\/a> and you\u2019re already getting them from your favorite love song.<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 Exercise much? To music? Go for it \u2013 even harder! $\"\"$ <\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason that your endurance improves if you work out to music \u2013 and you already know it. You probably already use it! Runners find their second wind to music, and the Spotify app has a \u201c<\/span>Running<\/span><\/a> \u201d feature for this reason. Entraining your workout to music helps keep that part of you that wants to stop when it gets hard from being quite so present. <\/span><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 Need a good cry? Put that feeling to music.<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not maudlin to spin your sad music when you let the tears come \u2013 just like the sound track you use for exercise or making love, those songs that support your grief help you process the intensity of sadness. Rather than holding it all inside, it\u2019s better to feel it fully and music has been there doing that for many thousands of years.<\/span><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 How about physical pain? Doesn\u2019t music help you there, too?<\/b><\/p>\n

Sometimes it seems counter-intuitive to play music when you\u2019re in pain, but we still do it. My daughter had a number of reconstructive surgeries when she was very young, and she started asking for a CD player and headphones during recovery. I gifted her <\/span>this song<\/span><\/a>. We all know about <\/span>David playing the harp when King Solomon got headaches<\/span><\/a>. Chances are good that you already use music to soothe painful symptoms in your physical system and understand the benefits on an intuitive level.<\/span><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0 What about anger? Music can help you let that sucker go!<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of angry music in the world. Why? Because, like sadness, music is a safe way for us to feel that s**t and let it go. It\u2019s unsafe to rage on the road or with a loaded weapon, but music can enhance anger in a safe way and let it move through you. If you already have a sound track for anger and rage you\u2019ve got this one! Keep using it and for heaven\u2019s sake encourage everyone you know to do it too; we need a better way to stay safer these days.<\/span><\/p>\n

6)\u00a0 Jump-start your brain.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you like listening deeply to a genre of music that\u2019s not in your mainstream, you already get this. It doesn\u2019t have to be Classical music; taking time to explore something new is a great way to engage that part of your brain that science says we don\u2019t use much. It\u2019s hard to explain, but there\u2019s something satisfying about being a music hunter. I found the music of <\/span>Tinariwen<\/span><\/a> a few years back and it has been my go-to sound track when I just want \u201csomething else\u201d \u2013 helps me shift gears in some holistic way. Can you relate?<\/span><\/p>\n

7)\u00a0 What\u2019s your happy song? The one you go to when things are great?<\/b><\/p>\n

$\"\"$ Whether it\u2019s a football fight song or your private <\/span>feel-good playlist<\/span><\/a>, you know how it feels when your joy is set to music, right? Like a movie without a soundtrack, turn off the music and things fall flat. Our human systems \u2013 especially joy \u2014 really resonate to music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now: how\u2026and why music?<\/b><\/p>\n

We humans are vibratory beings. Atoms, cells, molecules, organs \u2013 everything about us and about our universe \u2013 vibrates. We hear and make vibration when we listen and speak. We see vibration as color. With every beat, our hearts make individual rhythm for us. The earth itself vibrates at a frequency too low for us to hear. The bodies we ride in resonate with the sound and vibration around us, and we are either in sync with our environment (which feels good!) or fighting it (which feels bad).<\/span><\/p>\n

The vibrations of music trigger our human systems \u2013 brain chemistry mostly \u2013 and we respond: mentally, emotionally and physically. We can\u2019t help it.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have a natural inclination to sync our music to what our body, brain and heart need, and when we do, things can really feel better \u2013 fast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What music is best for me to use?<\/b><\/p>\n

You already know this: your best music is the music you already love. Play around with it \u2013 see how each of \u201cyour\u201d songs entrains you: do you speed up, get thoughtful, feel happy, cry, relax? It\u2019s good to know exactly which of your tunes works best for each activity in your day to day, and then dial them up to support that activity. Even if it\u2019s unpleasant!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My wife likes to use classical music during rush hour. This stimulates her higher brain function instead of triggering her lizard brain, and that helps keep her alert and calm at the wheel. It feels good for me to know that her choice of music makes her a better, more defensive and less-rage-full driver.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my volunteer work with at-risk people, I\u2019ve encountered many folks with manic or schizoid symptoms who use hip hop or rap to slow their brains down enough to\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Full disclosure: this is some powerful s**t.<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a time and a place for music as self-intervention. Rage Against the Machine lets me unpack rage, but I try not to use it when it might be unsafe, like in rush hour traffic or when other people who don\u2019t get my music might be offended.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be gentle with yourself.<\/b><\/p>\n

We all have feelings that don\u2019t feel good. You\u2019ll find that music amplifies them really well and that those feelings will move through you and leave you, but sometimes they need a little help. My <\/span>functional music playlist for grief<\/span><\/a> has some heavy stuff in it, but I like to end that listening session with a happy tune to help me turn the corner back to my \u201cnormal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to be part of the music care movement? You could check out the <\/span>Music Care<\/span><\/a> website or <\/span>sign up for lessons<\/span><\/a>, but let\u2019s leverage what you already know! Leave a comment for others after this article \u2013 nothing is as powerful as YOUR story to inspire everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published on YourTango.com, and is republished here with permission of the author, Bill Protzmann. Seven Ways You Already Use Music for Self Care It\u2019s a self-validating truth: music is medicine \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-809","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-self-care","9":"post-with-thumbnail","10":"post-with-thumbnail-icon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":822,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions\/822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}