Turn Up The Music, Lift Up The Mind

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, however, like so many heath initiatives, we should be consistently focusing on our mental health. For this week, I would like to highlight the power of music and dance. Whether it is watching a live music performance or concert film, to just turning on your favorite music in the morning and dancing, all can be wonderful stress relievers, and a focus of positivity for us.

 We know that exercise triggers a part of the brain that stimulates dopamine and serotonin production. I started trying to listen to a few songs in the morning while starting my day, and was surprised at the wonderful difference it has made. Dancing also provides me with the mental break I need at times along with permission to daydream. Dancing or enjoying music may be trying to learn the complex choreography of your favorite K-Pop group which I am guilty of, or throwing on old school Hip- Hop, and dancing freestyle. It can also have you playing good 80s rock, or Pop music from a group like Wham, and even oldies but goodies from the 60s and 70s era. I can say for sure seeing performers such as Earth Wind and Fire, Billy Ocean, Frankie Vallie, Wu Tang, Big Time Rush, Diana Ross, Babyface, and most recently BTS to name a few, there is nothing like seeing a live show while singing along and dancing to elevate levels of positivity and to relief stress.  

It could be the lyrics or just the art itself that melts your troubles away, allowing the medium to take on therapeutic properties. Listening to music or attending live shows is not meant to take the place of treatment. It is there to compliment it. Music can help to calm the mind and create shared experiences amongst people, including allowing for new connections to be made.

As we explore ways to take care of our mental health in the same way we do our physical health, it is critical to remember the first step is that it is normal, and healthy to recognize that taking care of our mental health should be just as routine as taking care of our physical health. This may look different for all of us, which is fine. So, remember, have fun picking your favorite artist to listen to or groove to. Your mood will thank you for it

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