Maximising the Power of Music

How my son takes full advantage of it and you should too.

Do you know anyone who doesn’t like music?

I have never met anyone who was not affected by the sound of a good tune, whether it was in the form of bopping their head along on their way to work, tapping their feet in line at the grocery store, or completely letting themselves go on the dancefloor of a club.

I myself dance anywhere — you’ll see me shamelessly doing a two-step and singing along at a clothes store if the music is good.

But how much do we use it as a mood changer? How much of a difference can it really make to our overall state of happiness, and not just in the short term? We all know the effects of music are generally good and it’s listed everywhere as one of the most obvious things to do when we’re sad, but how many of us really take advantage of this simple hack to improve our morale, genuinely?

Here is how I have found music to be one of the best ways to get over my anxiety and calm my nerves.

Music Changes Your Circumstances

My son and I were in the car on the way to the furniture store with the radio on. A mix of songs played for around 20 minutes, nearly the entirety of our journey, and let me tell you my son was in a state of euphoria.

He bopped his head to J Cole, shook it to Linkin Park, then closed his eyes and swayed his head as he heard Peaches by Justin Bieber. And then he went crazy when a grime song by Wiley came on because he friggin loves all grime. He’s 2.

Music not only made the journey in the car a complete delight despite the heat and the traffic — it set the path for a really good, fun day. Andriel was awesome in all the stores. When we got home, he had a 2.5-hour nap, and we had company in the afternoon, for which he was very well behaved. He went to bed a really happy boy that evening.

I felt utter gratitude for the music that played and then for my son who’s my miracle. That gratitude spiralled, and I thanked the universe for giving me yet a second pregnancy despite my battle with PCOS. All because good music played in the car.

I felt at peace with my life, and grateful for the circumstances that we’re in today. That car journey will forever stay with me, even though it was as normal as every other.

Not only do I speak from experience, but with this article, I aim to remind you that, music has the power to change the perspective of the world you see.

According to researchers at the University of Groningen,

“music has an even more dramatic effect on perception: even if there is nothing to see, people sometimes still see happy faces when they are listening to happy music and sad faces when they are listening to sad music.”

It suggests that when you’re not feeling great about your circumstances, your mood can be improved with music. And if your mood changes, so does your view of the circumstances you find yourself in.

I went from being stressed about the day ahead because, who likes to drag their toddler to run errands? To really enjoying the day and appreciating the fact that I stayed in a great mood.

Music can help your good mood keep going.

As I watched my son being fully in the moment, letting his senses be stimulated by the sound of the music, my own spirits lifted and I felt friggin’ great.

Our day was awesome. I don’t remember a single thing that stressed me out yesterday, because when your day starts off so well it’s much easier for your mind to let negative things slide.

That made for a good night’s sleep, and another great start to the day the next day.

Music Is Healing

Music is relatable.

Whether you’re matching your mood with music by listening to something upbeat when you’re happy or a mellow Billie Eilish song when you’re sad — music finds a way to connect to your emotion and uplift you.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”― Victor Hugo, William Shakespeare

My life did a complete 180 turn when my ex and I broke up, 12 years ago. I thought he was the love of my life, but it turns out it was just an extremely toxic relationship that we both needed to end. So I packed my bags and left the town I lived in to go to college. What did I do the first few months there? I partied. A lot. The main ingredient? Music.

Music brought new friends together. Music unknowingly helped me practice mindfulness — by helping me stay in the present moment and out of my head. It helped me get over my ex and stop dwelling on the buts and what ifs of our past. Music helped keep me in good spirits as I got up for lectures in the mornings. It accompanied me home at the end of the day.

I joined a dance class and trained every day. It kept me pumped and fit. I was at my peak, and most of all, I felt on top of the world. I was sexy, healthy, and loved. I performed in two shows that year, which only cultivated more self-growth and confidence to smash the rest of my time at university. I buzzed my way through the 4 years of college and bounced into a graduate job before I’d even claimed my diploma and thrown my graduate hat in the air. The kickstarter to it all? You guessed it — music.

Music enriched my life and helped to form the memories I still treasure today from my college days.

And, I met my now-husband dancing. Because he felt the energy radiating from me when he saw me across the dance floor.

Through my own happiness, I attracted the love of my life right in. So it was only natural that when we got married we performed a kick-ass first dance.

Music Enhances Your Health

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” ― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Has a song ever given you the chills? That’s because it’s tremendously powerful. So powerful it can alter your mood and increase your state of happiness. It pierces through all your barriers, to the core of your own being. It connects its energy to yours and causes a ripple effect within you that can help boost your health mentally, physically, and spiritually.

That’s why music therapy is so popular for cancer patients — according to an article in Frontiers in Psychology, a number of studies published reported that:

“During curative treatment, results were most promising with regard to anxiety, depression, and pain medication intake, while in palliative settings, improvements with regard to quality of life, spiritual well-being, pain, and stress were reported.”

Time.com also published research that proved the effects music can have on your body:

It can improve blood flow in ways similar to statins, lower your levels of stress-related hormones like cortisol and ease pain. Listening to music before an operation can even improve post-surgery outcomes.

If music has this great of an effect on the body, it’s no wonder that people report their depression easing off when they’re introduced to music therapy. According to Pulse TMS, listening to music,

“Can encourage sleep, wakefulness, concentration, relaxation, stress, and emotional expression.”

It can match, even enhance, the type of energy you’re feeling, thus helping you reach any goal — whether it be to listen to spa music to relax; upbeat music to help you plough through the housework or a good workout at the gym; sad music to help induce the cry you need.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” ― Bob Marley

Music Improves Relationships

I told you my husband and I met and married dancing. It’s no surprise that music has remained a big part of our lives.

Whether it’s classical music while we work in the same room, sexy-time music, or simply happy tunes to have in the background — music has helped enable a space where both my husband and I find a safe environment to connect with each other simultaneously, even at the worst of times.

Studies have proven that parent and child bonds can be strengthened with music because it brings about a connection to your emotions, thus helping you to express them healthily. Sandi Wallace, published in the Journal of Family Communication,

“A lot of recent research has focused on how emotions can be evoked through music, and how that can perpetuate empathy and empathic responses toward your listening partner,”

We have passed on our love for music to our son, who does not miss a beat. He’ll put on an entire show while listening to Will Smith’s songs in Aladdin, mimic the dancing to random nursery rhymes, and ask for Major Lazer so he can have a rave right before bed. He’ll wiggle his hips as I pull up the blinds in a rhythmic way first thing in the morning, and do the clap to We Will Rock You as a way of asking to play it at dinner.

As a result of all of this, my son and I have a lot of fun during the day.

#Smug

The effect that music has on my 2-year-old is insane — I dare you to become aware of how much of an impact it can have on you daily.

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances. ” ― Maya Angelou

Final Thoughts

Yes, music therapy helps people overcome depression and feel less pain. If it’s powerful enough to get people through the worst of times, it’s absolutely able to help with the lesser, but still strong emotions of negativity and anxiety. I know it has helped me heal over the years and get over the more challenging times.

It’s one of those lifehacks that we might once again underestimate the power of. There is no magic way to live happily and. nosecret we must spend our entire lives looking for. Everything we need to live a happy and rich life is right at our fingertips and it is completely free. Music is just one of the many easy mood changers that have the power to move your perspective towards a more positive one.

You just need to remember to listen to it.

“Music is the strongest form of magic.” ― Marilyn Manson

Sylvia Emokpae, thinker and philosopher, is passionate about self-love and motherhood. See more work like this.

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