15 Powerful Songs That Move My Heart Every Time

Songs that help me cope with bipolar and feel the feels.

What’s your favorite song? Why?

Music is miraculous. Nothing can affect your emotions the way music can. It can carry you to the depths of sadness, the rush of love, the exhilaration of happiness, and the intense anger of frustration.

Music can match your mood or change it. Its power is undeniable.

In the early days of the Speaking Bipolar newsletter, I featured a favorite song each week. A comment in the Positivity Club this week reminded me of the power of music, so I wanted to dedicate a post to songs I love. Each song helps me cope with bipolar.

1. Happiness

Can’t Stop the Feeling | Justin Timberlake

Yep, I know this is from a kid’s movie, but often the animated features have the best songs. I want to dance every time I hear this song. Its rhythm and drum beat get me up and moving.

2. Pain

Better Days | Dermot Kennedy

When life feels like it’s full of gray skies and pouring rain, it’s hard to believe better days will come. This song not only reminds me of optimism, but also how our darkness affects others. We’re not the only ones who feel our pain, and we have people waiting to dance with us in the sun.

3. Fear

Fear | Blue October

Mental illness and fear go hand-in-hand. That someone who understands mental illness firsthand wrote and sang this song makes it even more powerful. Fear can keep you stuck in time, but it’s possible to move again.

4. Anger

In the End | Linkin Park

Sometimes you just need to scream, and when I reach that point, this song floods my brain. I belt out the words as loud as I can, pushing the aggression out of my body. It’s one of the few songs to stay on my go-to list for decades.

5. Love

So She Dances | Josh Groban

I have an entire playlist dedicated to the love of my life, but this song is the most meaningful. In these lyrics, I see her. She was a dancer and often imagined she was invisible, but I saw everything. I miss her every day, but this song makes me remember the best of her is still here.

6. Hope

Daylight | Shinedown

A club member shared this in the Positivity Club this week. It was the first time I heard it, but I already know it’s going to be a favorite. We need hope to remind us the sun will shine again.

7. Sadness

Now Comes the Night | Rob Thomas

At times, it feels like the world is slipping into darkness. We may feel hopeless, and we need music that understands what we’re feeling. This song fills me with sadness but also validation. I know I’m not the only one to feel this way, and neither are you.

8. Heartbreak

You Don’t Even Know Who I | Patty Loveless

Many relationships end. While it’s often for good reason, it still hurts. This song reminds me that no matter how a relationship ends, both parties experience grief. It’s okay to feel the pain and express how you feel.

9. Mindfulness

Glitter in the Air | Pink

Life goes fast, so you consciously need to take time to slow down. Pink is one of my go-to artists, and this is one of my favorites. Step back and live in the moment. Throw and handful of glitter and watch it fall to the ground. Revel in the experience.

10. Gratitude

Granted | Josh Groban

In our busy everyday activities, we sometimes take for granted all the good in our life. It’s important to reflect on those good things. We are often more blessed than we realize.

11. Longing

Wanted | OneRepublic

We all want to be loved, but too many of us are alone. At the very least, we feel like we are. This song reminds me I’m not alone when I feel unnoticed.

12. Relief

Cheers | Smash Cast

I like this version better than the original. When five o’clock on Friday gets here, I slip into my car, turn the volume way up, and sing my lungs out on the way home. Cheers to the weekend! I might do a little chair dancing too.

13. Desperation

45 | Shinedown

Trigger Warning: self harm

I almost didn’t include this song. There was a time I sat on the side of a local mountain dangerously close to ending things. It was almost my end, but for whatever reason, I chose to keep fighting.

This song takes me back there and reminds me of how low I fell. It also gives me hope, because I know I overcame that trial, so I can overcome whatever comes next.

14. Grief

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables | Nick Jonas

Death touches everyone’s life, and once someone is gone, there’s a hole that is never fully filled again. This song reminds me of the emptiness of grief. Friends and partners may pass away, but their imprint stays with us.

15. Comfort

Angel | Sarah McLachlan

Most of us have one or two people who make us feel loved unconditionally. This song reminds me of that type of love — both those who love me and those I love. It reaffirms that it’s okay to feel empty and lost, but in those moments, I need to turn to the ones who love me.

Share Your Stories

Writing this post reminded me we all have ways we cope with our mental illnesses that we may not even think about. We need to share more. To help, I opened a new topic in the Positivity Club called Community. Here, you can share your story, a link to a favorite song, a meme to make us giggle, or a quote to inspire.

If you want to be notified when there’s a new post, sign in to the Positivity Club, go to the Community topic, and click the Follow button. You will receive an email every time someone posts new content.

Keep in mind, the Positivity Club is about staying positive and living a full life with mental illness. Please keep your posts upbeat and family-friendly.

Music is a gift. It can lift your mood or give you a soundtrack to go along with your tears. No matter how you use it, let music power every day.

Until next time, keep fighting.

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Originally published at https://speakingbipolar.com on June 5, 2022.