Music for your mental & physical well-being

Music and life: The age-old connection

Albert Einstein once said, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.” Not only was music on his wish list, music was also his passion. He even confessed that whenever he used to be confused, he would switch to music. Often, he would find solutions to his problems while being engrossed in music. Music to Albert Einstein was both stress buster as well creativity booster.

?Einstein’s mother was a pianist and she taught him piano. He used to play piano whenever he would find himself miserably stuck in something. Einstein also learnt to play violin and performed on many prestigious stages of Europe. Just like Einstein’s mother, every mother connects with her child with music knowingly or unknowingly. Across the globe it is evident that music comes to life before speech.

When a 35000-year-old flute was found in Germany it gave rise to new findings. Probably moms in the prehistoric era used to sing lullabies to their babies. Almost all tribes used to have music as an integral part of their life. In fact, when you look at all religions today; you will find music embedded in it beautifully.

?Why do we need music today?

We all know that music soothes our heart, pumps up for work out and pushes us to dance.?At the same time music also has some serious scientific benefits for mental and physical wellbeing. Listening to music has been shown to improve memory functioning, increase rate of healing, improve your workouts and many more. Music has a unique link to our emotions, and research has found that it can be used as an extremely effective stress management tool.

Just like listening to slow music calms the body, music can also have a relaxing effect on the mind. Researchers at Stanford University found that listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication. Music also showed statistically significant improvements in sleep quality and a decrease in depressive symptoms. Many medical researchers have found that music significantly reduces stress hormone cortisol and increases happy hormone endorphin in our body.

?How to get maximum benefit from music?

1. ?Conscious Listening: Now a smart phone in our hand, music is readily available to us. Over the last three decades music has also become less expensive and almost free. Due to these factors most of us have become compulsive listeners, which does not actually help. So, switch to conscious listening to. Be mindful of what you are listening to. Choose your music and select your artist wisely.
2. Mood Music: There is nothing called good music or bad music. Yes, there is always a room for your favorite music. So, choose a variety of music as per your mood. A high bpm music is good for workouts whereas a low bpm music is good for sleep and relaxation.
3. Loop Music: Have you ever wondered why religious chants across the globe are on a repetitive mode? Because when you listen to music in a loop your mind relaxes completely. It simply knows what is next and that reduces anxiety.
4. Instrumental Music: Listen to instrumental music when you want to reduce stress and increase creativity. Lyrics may cause distraction sometimes. So instrumental music, especially the flute, has an immediate calming effect on the mind.

Plato?had rightly said,?“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.” No matter whether you are young or old, healthy, or sick, happy, or sad, music can improve the quality of your life significantly. It reduces stress and anxiety, elevates your mood, boosts your motivation, helps you sleep better, takes away your pain, and even makes you smarter. Have a happy life.

Published earlier in the newspaper tabloid "The Desert Trail"