Mood Music?

Your day is jam-packed. You started the morning with your usual routine. Then life began to speed up. Three interruptions popped in before you headed out the door. The dog needs to go outside to take care of business. You glance at the time and realize you’re late for your doctor’s appointment. Time to shift into warp speed and move at the speed of light. Your breathing is shallow, and your thoughts jumbled.

You start the car, and the Zac Brown Band comes on the radio.

“Knee deep in the water somewhere,
Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind in my hair,
Only worry in the world is the tide going to reach my chair.”

In your mind’s eye, you’re suddenly on the beach down in Baja California. The song brings back memories of a slower, more peaceful time, when you too were wondering if you would have to move your chair to stay dry. Your breathing slows. You start to smile as you hum along with the song. Your day is turning out to be much better, all because of a melody.

Manipulate Your Mood With Music

Can music shift your mood? You bet! Here are some tips:

• Upbeat music. Listening to happy music can drop your stress level, creating a happier outlook. Put on music with a strong beat, and you can power through workouts or housecleaning more easily. You’ve got this!
• Hum a song for 30 seconds. Humming sets up a positive vibration in your body, and the world is a better place.
• Your power song. If facing a difficult challenge, sing your favorite power song. (Mine is Unstoppable by Sia.) Or listen to the theme song from Rocky as you’re running your first half marathon. You too can be invincible.
• What you feel inside. A good example of speaking those “felt” words is in Taylor Swift’s new album, Tortured Poet’s Department. A lady in her 90’s heard the song, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, and softly mused Taylor was singing what she felt and couldn’t say.
• Bring back those memories. Nostalgia is a powerful force around special occasions. When you hear White Christmas can you almost feel the snow of December? Pomp and Circumstance is a reminder of graduations, and Pachelbel's Canon in D Major for weddings. Lullabies bring back memories of when your children were little.