Self Care Challenge Day 18: Music

Hey lovely person!

‘Music is the soundtrack of your life’ – Dick Clark

Today, we’re going to look at music.

Music Can Improve Your Mood

Most of us aren’t professional musicians, but listening to music can still enhance your work performance.

Listening to music at work can make you a happier, more productive employee, especially if it’s music you’ve chosen.

Office workers allowed to listen to their preferred choice of music complete tasks more quickly and come up with better ideas than those who have no control over their musical choices. Science has now proven what music lovers already know, that listening to upbeat music can improve your mood. Listening and playing music reduces chronic stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.

Music can make you feel more hopeful, powerful, and in control of your life. Listening to sad music has its benefits too. If you are going through a tough time, listening to sad music is cathartic. It can help you get in touch with your emotions to help you heal.

Music Boosts Brain Chemicals

One of the ways music enhances brain function is by stimulating the formation of certain brain chemicals. Listening to music increases the neurotransmitter dopamine.

This is the brain’s “motivation molecule” and an integral part of the pleasure-reward system. It’s the same brain chemical responsible for the feel-good states obtained from eating chocolate and runner’s high. Playing music with others or enjoying live music stimulates the brain hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin has been called the “trust molecule” and the “moral molecule” since it helps us bond with and trust others. There’s evidence that the oxytocin bump experienced by music lovers can make them more generous and trustworthy.

Your task is to: Make a couple of different playlists – maybe a motivational list, to fire you up on a day you’re struggling to get going, or thoughtful list, to close your eyes and really listen to.  Maybe even a melancholy list, for those times a cathartic cry is needed and the tears won’t come.

Then reflect in your journal about how the music made you feel, what you enjoyed – the melody or the lyrics, and what made you pick that particular song?

Stay tuned for Day 19.

Wherever you are in the world, have a lovely day ❤