I've never been somebody who could easily express my emotions, let alone process them. When I couldn't explain how I felt, I simply ignored my feelings entirely; most of my negative experiences were immediately suppressed as soon as the ordeal was over. These emotions stayed that way until something caused them to resurface. On some occasions, that trigger was a song. Something from the radio, or maybe even my own collection, that spoke to me in a way that it never had before.

When the lyrics of a song bring up bad memories for me, I have to make the decision to either process the feelings or push them back down until they come back. Usually, I choose to process them, but with the help of the lyrics. To better explain this, I'll use a personal example.

The last few lines of a song called "Sixth and Center," from Daytona Beach band called We're Not Dead helped me through a time when everybody seemed to be against me.

"I've spent too many years running in circles
Throwing punches at a world that's got me uncertain
But the only one I ever end up hurting at all is me"

It's not the world's fault that I'm confused, and treating it that way is only going to make things worse. The song helped me realize that, and now when things are at their worst, I do my best to observe what's influencing my life. Are the people I'm surrounding myself good people? Will they help me achieve my goals, or are they going to drag me down? In the words of Fall Out Boy's "The (Shipped) Gold Standard"

"You can only blame your problems on the world for so long
Before it all becomes the same old song"

Usually, when somebody listens to a song new or old, they learn the lyrics after just a few plays. This is because they're only hearing the words, not listening to them. However, when that person does properly listen to the lyrics, they may find that meaning of the song and the story that it tells relates to something that they've been through or something that they are currently experiencing.

The next time you're feeling down or you simply can't figure out your feelings, try listening to the songs in your library. Using songs that you're already familiar with is easier than learning new songs on your first listen. Skip through the tracks until you feel like you've found the right song for your mood, and then look up the lyrics. What you read just might help you get through the funk you're in!