Music and Mental Health

Can listening to your favorite songs, playing an instrument, or songwriting have a truly positive effect on your mental health?

Music cannot cure you of your mental illness(es) but some believe it can subside certain symptoms.

 

Me, Mental Health, and Music

 

I was in my twenties when I was finally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Before I knew the name or definition of my condition and before I sought therapy for my disorder, I wrote songs to cope with anxiety. I had no idea at that time that my love for writing and singing over instrumentals or YouTube Type Beats  during a state of anxiousness was a therapeutic practice called Music Therapy.

 

History, Mental Health, and Music

Music Therapy is using various forms of music for therapeutic purposes. According to the Wikipedia page Music Therapy, the practice of Music Therapy is as old as the Bible. The prophet David  helped improve King Saul's mental state by playing music. Nevertheless, the first recording of the musical practice being used was in 1789. A few methods used in Music Therapy to treat mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression include listening to music, songwriting, as well as playing instruments. Furthermore, the Sound Well Music Therapy article Music Therapy and Mental Health describes how music can be specifically used to improve an individual's mental health. In the present day, people including YouTuber Bobby Nsenga create playlists dedicated to bettering a person's mental state. I enjoy playing a few of Bobby's playlists when I am not feeling my best. Here is one of my favorite go-to playlists by Bobby Nsenga titled Falling in Love With Life Again - Playlist:

 

  

Georgia, Mental Health, and Music

 

The World Health Organization  stated that 1 in every 8 people in the world live with a mental disorder (WHO 2022). While the Wellbeing Port  claims that  ...one in five adults in Georgia battles mental illness (WBP 2022). For those that are able to seek medical help for their mental illness(es), one of the methods used in some Georgia Medical institutions is Music Therapy. Moreover, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as Metro Music Therapy, are just two of the many Medical organizations that use Music Therapy for mental health. Do you believe music can improve a person's mental state? Do you think that music can remedy some of the symptoms of certain mental? Have you found music to be helpful for your mental and emotional state?

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CC Attribution: 

"Brain nebula" by ezhikoff is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

"Headphones (hanging in a tree)" by Alexandre Dulaunoy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. 

"Grant Hospital Sign" by Friscocali is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.  

 

 

 

 

Memes Are Just Our Thoughts in a Multimodal Media Form?

I believe memes are just our thoughts and personalities in a multimodal media form. 

    The meme I created is the first thought I usually have every morning. I can say I do enjoy watching the sunrise and am always grateful for another, day but I have never been a morning person. I prefer the evening and nighttime because that is when I usually am finding new somethings such as new books, movies, shows, etc. The only morning hours I am truly fond of are the first couple of A.M. hours. Nonetheless, the expression on the dog's face in my meme is the exact face I make when I realize it is morning time and I have to get up. In addition to the dog photo I chose from WordPress; I utilized the phrase it's too early for this. The reasoning for the phrase is because the saying expresses how it's too early for something, although the morning time is of course the early hours of a day. Are you a morning, afternoon, evening, or night person?

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CC Attribution:

"dog sleeping" by Cherrysweetdeal is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

 

Can You Guess The Word From The Collage?

One of my favorite interests and something to discuss is music, more specifically the construction of a song.

    My photo remix's meaning is about one of the best ways I love to express myself is in songwriting. Whenever I am writing a verse, chorus, bridge, etc I feel the most me. I did a collage of pictures that represent the words songwriting. I chose the letter S for the first letter in songwriting. The notes are another clue that the word is about music. The pen as well as the alphabet acts in the place of writing. Additionally, the crumbled paper imitates the writing portion of the word and also represents the trial and error that takes place when creating songs. Did you guess the word before you read my explanation?

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CC Attribution:

"letter S" by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

"Music Notes, Minneapolis" by Kables is licensed under CC BY 2.0.   

"Writing with Ink" by urbanworkbench is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

"Ornamental alphabet" by vidalia_11 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

"magnetic paper" by makedonche19 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.