Using Music to Regulate Your Emotions

Music is a language every single human being on Earth understands. Babies, children, disabled people, mentally ill people, people with dementia, old people, and everyone in between. There’s truly a genre/style/artist out there for everyone. There’s happy music, sad music, angry music, calm music, electronic music, instrumental music, vocal music, scream-o, rap, and so much more. There are literally millions of different styles of music, with millions of sub-genres. With all of this being said, what does music have to do with mental health? And how can you use it to benefit you?

Have you ever noticed that your music tastes change based on your mood? Well, this concept actually works in reverse! Think of your worst breakup, the worst moment of your life, or some other time you felt extreme sadness or anger. What kind of music do you find yourself listening to? Whenever I go through negative emotions, I throw the calming classical music out the window and listen to Insane Clown Posse (whoop whoop). For those of you who have never heard the absolute artistry of ICP, they are a horror rap duo from Detroit. They rap about pretty dark topics (I know this is very on-brand for me) such as murder, suicide, and other types of violence- but they also integrate comedy to some of their music. They’re pretty intense, but I freakin’ love them! They make me feel better every time. 

But how about when you’re celebrating, happy, elated, even? For me, I stray away from ICP and listen to artists such as Ghost, Sammy Rae and the Friends, Chappell Roan, and Lake Street Dive. Upbeat, happy music. And it feels amazing! I could go on, for every emotion imaginable, there is a song, album, artist, or genre of music. 

I challenge you to try an experiment. The next time you’re in a terrible mood- sad, depressed, angry, in despair, try this: turn on the music you listen to when you’re happy or calm. It may not work immediately, but give it a chance. Que up 10 “feel-good” songs that you like, and just listen! I can almost guarantee that by song number 5-7, you will feel at least a little bit better. But Ryan, you say, what is the use in only feeling a little bit better? For those of you that have ever been severely anxious, depressed, angry, despondent, or even in the midst of a psychotic episode, you know that when you’re that desperate to feel better, anything that makes you even a teeny bit better, is worth it. 

This may just be me, but back when I was in high school, I would sometimes get anxious while listening to vocal music. At that time, I was listening to classic mid 2000’s emo music and classic rock. I found that the voices in the music were making me anxious and irritated. Around this time as well, I was undergoing classical musician training via private tuba lessons, and was playing the bass trombone in the Eugene-Springfield Youth Symphony. So, one day, when I was getting anxious and pissed off while listening to Evanescence in my bedroom, I decided to listen to Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, the last movement of which was a piece we were playing in the symphony at the time. I got almost immediate relief. So, if you experience the same issue, I suggest listening to classical music or instrumental music. Just something without singing. 

In conclusion, music is a medium by which you can use to improve your mood. It can bring you back from the brink of mental chaos and calm your body.