Turn It Down For What?

Is your playlist full of Twinkies?

I love music. If anyone tells me that they, “just don't like music that much,” I assume they're soulless creatures sent from another planet to invade us. If you're one of those creatures and reading, please disregard & know that we mean you no harm. Also, you have our sincerest apologies for Rickrolling. We're not perfect.

I digress. I was writing a piece (about music) recently for a friend and something struck a chord (pun): music has the incredible ability to shape mood & emotions. For instance, imagine if your child’s preschool talent show opened with Down With The Sickness by Disturbed. It would probably leave you, well, a little disturbed. Equally, imagine the next installment of Mission Impossible playing Easy on Me by Adele while Tom Cruise beats the hell out of the villain during the final fight scene (okay, I'm literally laughing as I write this).

For those who have experienced anxiety & panic, you know just how important music can be in managing the symptoms. I can't tell you how many times I've turned on the same song over & over as it helped center me and take my mind off the anxiety. I recently went back to my most played songs of 2020 (when my panic was at its worst) and #1 on the list was I'll Find You by Lecrae. Better Days by One Republic also ranked toward the top (the irony is not lost on me).

And there are a lot of reasons music has this power to heal. For me, sometimes it's something more nuanced like the chord progression. Other times it's the lyrics that inspire me, bring peace & strengthen my faith. Over the past few years I've come to be more intentional about what I listen to. We’re all aware of healthy (& unhealthy) food choices and the impact they can have on our bodies & emotional state. Similarly, music has the potential to lift up your mind in positivity or drag you into a negative headspace. Just like you wouldn’t (hopefully) only eat Twinkies, your playlist should have some songs that build positive moods & mindsets.

And on that note, I leave you with a inspirational song from Cardi B.

Just kidding.