Music therapy is based on the idea that music can benefit your overall health. How it works may still be a mystery but, more importantly, the evidence shows it does work. ABC News reported former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords regained her speech partly due to music therapy after being shot in the head earlier that year. The American Cancer Society says pairing music therapy with conventional cancer treatments can help reduce pain and relieve stress. I too use music therapeutically to deal with the many stressors that occur in my life.
Breaking up is hard to do (unless you have a song)
Last month I broke up with a guy I’d been seeing for several months. Ok, so who hasn’t been in this situation? How I recover from the breakup, though, is with a little help from Fleetwood Mac. For this breakup and breakups in the past, I find playing “Go Your Own Way” not only elevates my mood but gives me some feeling of control. Maybe it’s the tempo of the song or the way Lindsay Buckingham belts out lyrics like you can call it another lonely day. It somehow absorbs my anger and makes me feel a lot better after hearing this song!
I remember Papa
I recently wrote about my father’s passing in 2015 from complications resulting from Hepatitis C. When I spoke at his wake, I told family and friends how although my father and I differed in political opinion, we shared many things in common. One of those things was our love of late Beatle George Harrison. I closed my eulogy with a quote from the song “What Is Life”: What I feel I can’t say, but my love is there for you any time of day. Sometimes I don’t have the words to express exactly how I feel. In this case, George Harrison’s lyrics gave me the voice to speak those last words to my father.
It’s gonna be a bright sunshinin’ day
Like most people, I have my share of bad days. Sometimes it’s a stressful day at work. Sometimes it’s an argument with a friend or family member. And then there are days when I can’t figure out how the heck I’ll ever cope with whatever has come my way. But I am an optimist and despite a tumble here and there, I know things will always get better. So in the soft reggae sounds of Jimmy Cliff, I fill my mind with his cover version of “I Can See Clearly Now.” When I hear this song, it calms my senses and makes me realize eventually I will see the rainbow I’ve be praying for.
