Whether a battle is physical or mental, the act of fighting still needs to occur in order to eventually end. More often than not, the emotional combats are the toughest to overcome and the most complex to understand. Others have experienced pain and heart ache in different ways than I have, but throughout my twenty years I have come to one single conclusion; whether you are going through a divorce as a 50 year old woman, stressing over your calculus final as a sophomore in college, or your middle school boyfriend just broke up with you for walking the hallways with another boy, music is a simple healing mechanism that makes the world partially make sense.
Within each song there is about a three minute story that seems to grow and change each time you hear it in your mind. Making specific playlists and creating a personal journey for yourself to go on while listening to each track will change your reality for the better
Creating Your Library
- Spend a day searching on the iTunes library and youtube for songs that stick out to you. Search key words and phrases that you may gravitate toward because of how you are feeling that particular day.
- Create different playlists within your library that match your lifestyle. No matter what issues may be going on, you will always need a particular "type" of music to lean on. For example, my favorite playlists are for working out, long drives, getting ready to go out, and relaxing.
- Step outside of your comfort zone. Don't automatically lean toward Top 40. As familiar as those songs are, you want to find music that will touch you at a deeper level. Once in a while there may be a song that you connect with, but for the most part use this as an exploration.
- Do what works for you. Although I have playlists, I sometimes stray if I am going through a tough time. I know that most of my workout music helps me blow off steam and get the best possible workout in, so sometimes when I am frustrated I will blast that music on my car rides around town.
- If it doesn't fit it's okay. As much as you should have some specific playlists, it is absolutely okay to have a random one as well. Not every song is going to fit into a category, but it may have some significant value or meaning to your life. Have it available to you at all times and give yourself a taste of all different types of sounds.
Exploring The Journey
- Make sure that you have enough music in your playlist, that you won't overdue certain songs and eventually lose your original meaning for picking it. There are no rules with how to create your library and now that you have it, use it as your own.
- Using the messages and lyrics along your new life path. Of course songs are created to enjoy and sing along to, but they are also built to tell a story. If there is a problem you are going through and there is a song that relates to your struggles, there is most likely an answer on how to make yourself feel better.
- Music reminds me every day that there are people everywhere who are experiencing the same kind of heartaches, tragedies, and happy moments everywhere. While listening to certain songs, I almost feel part of a greater community to understand how different people deal with similar issues.
- Devote some time to this new hobby. When I realized how helpful music was to my thought process and my life, I decided to dedicate one day a week to updating my library. There are always new songs coming out, old ones to find, and new problems rising and each week my journey is continuing to change and grow in such a positive light.
- Be smart. Do not take this as an opportunity to make bad times worse. If you are going through a breakup, take a few days to listen to those sappy, unfortunate songs of girls who lost "the one," but also listen to songs about being strong and being independent. This is a time for you to better yourself and if you use your ears properly, it can be of major help.
Why do you think movies have music playing for the entirety of the film? Just like the characters have a soundtrack to their lives, everyone is allowed to build a foundation for their own routines. Take a seat, plug your headphones in, and get ready to start a journey that has barely begun!
