Self Care Tips

Does Self Care Sometimes Feel Overwhelming?

If you are anything like me and have spent time scrolling through social media, there has been a lot of push of “self-care” type topics. As a busy mom of two that is usually running children from one place to another, sometimes meeting my husband in a parking lot to exchange children, it can often seem overwhelming figuring out when to make that time. And trust me, during these cold, grey, winter months, I need to implement some practices more than any other time of the year. Which had me thinking about something I could do that did not feel like “one more thing.”  

I am a musically driven person, playing piano growing up and have been singing since I could speak. I have always had a connection to various kinds of music, but it was not until a few years ago that I truly started to understand the healing properties of music and its ability to connect to a deeper place in our emotions. Music communicates- not just to the ears, but to our hearts and our souls. When I think about the various layers of the music we listen to- the rhythm, beat, instrumentation, the crescendo and dynamic changes, and especially the lyrics- music has a way to allow us to meet a deeper emotional place, sometimes allowing us to feel things in a deeper and more genuine emotion.  

Depending on how I am feeling will often determine what music I seek. When I started doing research on the healing properties of music, I found some research completed through the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They reported that “Experts say that listening to music stimulates the nucleus accumbens part of the brain, in turn increasing dopamine levels in the body. Research suggests that listening to music is not only pleasing but is effective as a form of therapy and emotion regulation as well.” 

So, for those of you like me who might struggle to make self-care a priority in protecting your own mental health, perhaps music can be an outlet for you. For the drive between practices, work, shuttling people to and from, use that time to select music that allows you to feel, express, and understand the emotions. You might not only discover a new favorite song, but you might feel more in touch with your emotions because you are better regulated.