music & wellbeing - do you use it as a tool for managing stress and mental health?

Thanks @tyme

I needed that reminder … it’s feels like the condition or the meds seem to dampen creative ideas …. But guess I can still dance!
I hope you & others have had a pleasant evening @AuntGlow @Captain24 @Shaz51 @RachSANECEO

Yes and no. @RachSANECEO

Like @Former-Member I use music to help with pain. I use music as medicine a lot.

I learn about feelings through music. Old songs can be wonderful and evocative. Music can soothe but also energise. I am more a practitioner, rarely a consumer. However I did get a couple free tickets for a concert this weekend. I rarely just listen to pre-recorded music, without a purpose, Eg mainly to study or learn something.

the “no” relates to the ways music can be stressful, eg performance or repetitive strain injuries. Overall music is central in my life.

gosh i love all of these replies so much.

Music is so many things to me. Mood and energy lift, stress relief, calming tool, tool for managing sensory overwhelm, ability to process past experiences - a way to surprise me out of one headspace into another, like the birdsong comment someone made earlier.

So I have to film a video for a conference in the UK that will play it at their event, I'll be talking about all these themes - would that be an interesting bit of content to also share here on the forums? if we sort of add it on to a thread and maybe we do an 'ask me anything' like a webinar type thing?

question also to our expert Community Builders - @ElephantEar3 @tyme and @Jynx is there a way in replying to a thread that we can tag like '@ everyone' without me having to go back through and copy / remember all the usernames? or does everyone get a notification if they are part of this thread that someone has replied...

@RachSANECEO if I can jump in... everyone who subscribes to a thread gets notifications and sees all replies. It's configured in settings, and you can also change to subscribe or unsubscribe in the thread header. I don't remember what the automatic default is but in my settings I'm subscribed to any thread I've posted in.

I do manually unsubscribe from quite a lot if they become too much.

Ooh @RachSANECEO are you breaking through the current midnight barrier? (I'm not talking about the "Midnight Train to Georgia", because it's "After Midnight", but you might be a "Midnight Special" because it's after "The Midnight Hour" barrier you "Midnight Lady").

No you don't get a notification if someone posts in a thread you have previously posted in unless you are tagged.

I think there is an @everyone type thing but it requires a higher permission than ordinary forum members have - not sure if you are "ordinary". It is annoying though to not have access to people who have previously posted in a thread without typing out each user name - possible IT suggestion right there.

I am the "someone" who made the birdsong comment!

Yes in my humble opinion it would be a good thread to have.

Thanks for the tag @tyme

And thanks for the topic @RachSANECEO

I don't even know where to start... music is... it's healing for me

It holds beautiful memories and heartfelt tears

It breaks down my walls and lifts up my voice

It gives me the ability to communicate what my normal voice can't

As a poet I eventually put melodies to it

My heart is what writes for me and what puts music to it

It's in that writing that I'm able to process

It connects me with something beyond myself

It tells me that I'm not alone, that someone else felt this and felt to share it

The music I write is simple to remember and hold onto

The songs I listen to give me hope

It is one of the most powerful tools in my toolkit

There is not a day that goes by where I'm not bopping to the radio or have my playlist going or singing hymns and learning songs

Hymns calm me from anxiety and I start singing or humming "be thou my vision" whenever I start getting overwhelmed in public.

I have different albums I listen to depending on where in the darkness scale I am that they build up to albums where I feel built up enough to tackle whatever it was that got me down.

Music is what reaches me when no one else can

Hello @RachSANECEO

I think the second part of your message 🤔 would happen with @ everyone

@tyme

Hi @RachSANECEO and @tyme

Music is a big part of wellbeing for me.

Playing is something I need to do more of, because when I do get out my guitar it brings me joy. Listening to music helps get me through. It might just be me but I will often get lost in sad music because I feel that I’m not the only one, and that others get It. Music is something that connects us all. Some nice songs with mellow vibes help me to relax. I think music helps us all.

Thanks for sharing @Rockdog ! I never knew you played the guitar! That's awesome! I can relate to the fact that a lot of what we listen to can reflect how we are feeling at that time. I've often read people sharing something similar on the forums.

That is, when they are feeling down, they listen to music that relates to how they are feeling. But is it hepful? I dont' know.