Improve Your Mental Health with Music Therapy

An often overlooked style of a mood boosting mental health strategy is musical therapy. There are many different kinds of therapy out there, including the traditional kind in which you talk to a therapist, but musical therapy is one of the few that requires less guidance from a professional.

Music therapy includes many different parts. As long as it’s a normal activity involving music, it probably fits in with music therapy in some way, shape, or form. Everything from making music to simply listening to it can be utilized in music therapy.

At the entry level, you might just start off with the easier forms of music therapy, including listening to it, talking about it, and dancing to it. All different kinds of music can be used in music therapy, no matter what genre you prefer.

This level has numerous benefits already. The simple act of listening to music can have a profound effect on things like your mood and your energy levels. By taking things a step further and discussing them in depth, you can really start to understand what you like about the music you listen to, which can be introspective.

As you continue to get more advanced in your music therapy, you might consider adding in more difficulty in the form of your own creativity. For example, you might start learning how to play instruments yourself.

Learning instruments can be quite difficult, but ultimately is very rewarding. It would be a good idea to learn an instrument that’s commonly used in the music you like to listen to, because once you learn how to play it, it can add a new level of appreciation to your own music.

For example, if you listened to a lot of rock music, and then learned how to play the electric guitar, you would have a lot of newfound respect for the difficulty involved in your favorite songs, and a new appreciation for the complexity of it.

Something you should strive for in musical therapy is working up to being able to actually make your own music. This goes beyond just using an instrument to play an existing song. Instead, you would be writing things like the lyrics and making the sheet music.

This can be difficult, but rewarding. You would want to learn the basics of certain things like music theory, and know how to write sheet music if you opted to make any. However, difficult as it may be, it’s not impossible.

A creative endeavor like engaging with music in a bunch of different ways is a great way to find out more about yourself and help release some pent-up emotions. Overall, it’s a great form of therapy for just about anyone.


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