A Dose of Music

Debasish Mridha states, “Music can heal the wounds that medicine cannot touch.” Whether or not we know it in the moment, music helps us in many ways. It is there for us on the tough days, where all we want to do is lay in bed, and on the good days, where we have enough energy to accomplish all our goals. We use music as a way destress, focus, and express ourselves. Whenever we need it, we can always rely on music to fall back on. Many teenagers and young adults are very connected to their music. They feel it has a lot of power in their lives and helps them connect with others and their selves. 

Music is beneficial to all of us, especially when handling our stress. Stress often makes us feel overwhelmed and anxious. Because of schoolwork, socializing, and life at home, teenagers are usually prone to this feeling of pressure. 

Omar Yañez, a 16-year-old high school student and student at CCATE, agrees with this idea. “Music helps with stress and calming myself down sometimes.” Many teenagers at CCATE use music to destress and calm their anxiety when they are feeling overwhelmed. 

One of the other advantages of music is that it gives us a way to express ourselves. Listening to different types of music shows our individuality, and how we are distinct from others. Music also helps us understand how we are feeling and helps us express that emotion. 

14-year-old Valeria Ledesma Lugo explains this thought. “I feel like even if it’s just a song I feel like they [the artists] open up a lot to put their business out there and all their feelings out there. So, when I hear their music it’s like I can put my feelings out there too.” Putting your feelings out there is an important step of opening up to others, which helps you express yourself more easily. Finding the courage to open up can be found within the lyrics or the melody of a song no matter what emotion you are feeling.

Music can help us with our emotions on the inside, but it is also helpful with physical tasks as well. Working through your feelings is important, but as are the things we do in daily life as well. Things can get tiring after repeating the same jobs every day, and music can help us with that too. Listening to music can help us focus on these chores, keeping our minds on task working hard without getting distracted. 

CCATE teenager Alison Calderon says that music helps her with a lot of her work, making the work seem less burdening. “I think music affects mental health by helping it, because there are a lot of songs or a lot of lyrics that give me perspective on how to think about things.” Many teenagers use music in the same way when doing their schoolwork and other chores. Using music to focus and calm your mind can help you get many things done. 

These songs and lyrics are part of daily life, and help many people get through the day. Music has so many benefits that we are able to take advantage of. It helps us unwind, focus, communicate our emotions, and so many other things that most people don’t think of when listening to music. Even without knowing it, music scientifically improves our mood affecting neurotransmitters that affect our mood. Sometimes, the best way to feel our best is to turn on our favorite song.