Just one day full of music makes all of my stress levels disappear

Recently, I’ve been experiencing extreme amounts of stress concerning school, work and my personal life. I keep trying to tell myself that all the stress will melt away once I’ve finished all the tasks I need to finish. However, that wishful way of thinking was quickly demolished by the introduction of more work. Since work and problems insist on occupying all of my time, I’m not able to indulge in my normal decompression methods like watching television.

As my stress levels continued to rise and my mental sanity continued to grow questionable, I found myself at quite the crossroads. I’ve pondered what it would be like if my brain just randomly exploded into bits, and while quite the gory portrait, I believe it suits the scale of mental tyranny I am experiencing. However, I never stopped to consider that maybe there was a simpler solution to my problem.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved music. From the time I wake up to the time I fall asleep, I can guarantee you that my headphones have been in my ears for at least six hours of the day and I’ve sung for at least three. 

Music is such an integral part of my being, so much so that I never really considered it as a form of therapeutic relief, that is, until recently.

Earlier last month, I had this huge mental breakdown in my bathroom over how much stress I was under. 

I know that it’s odd this took place in a bathroom, but the bathroom has become a sort of safe space for me over the course of my life. I turned the shower on, balled up in a corner with a towel over my head and cried until I was too tired to continue.

I’m aware how unhealthy that probably sounds but my options were limited and honestly, I needed it. The next morning, coincidentally, I woke up to a notification from Apple Music, telling me that I should listen to the “Joy” playlist in the “Ask Siri” section. With the way I was feeling, I wanted to curl up in my comforter and listen to “No Time To Die” by Billie Eilish.

Fortunately, there were two problems with that. One being that I had a 9 a.m. class to get to. The second being that if I listened to sad music, I would continue to be sad. I knew that because I did an experiment on music therapy in high school and it’s already been scientifically proven. Though I know that I am entitled to feel whatever way I want to feel, I was cognizant enough to know that I didn’t want or need to be sad.

So, at Apple Music’s request, I put my earbuds in my ears and turned on the “Joy” playlist. Immediately, my ears were greeted by one of the happiest songs ever made: “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. I don’t know if it was sheer coincidence or if God knew just what I needed to hear, but I immediately began to smile. I happen to love Bill Withers’ music and this song is also one of my personal favorites.

The playlist is full of other super upbeat and positive hits like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by WHAM! and “Hey Ya!” by OutKast. I kept that same playlist on repeat that day. Somehow, that playlist made my stress disappear, even if it was only temporary.

After that day, I decided to make myself more mood-based playlists. Most of the playlists I have now are of specific genres or songs that remind me of certain people. For example, I have a playlist called “Mommy and Me”, which is just a compilation of songs my mom would play in the car during my youth. I have another one called “Cheetos and Pink Lemonade,” which is full of songs from my favorite childhood shows and movies and its name is my favorite childhood snack.

The only emotion-centered playlist that I had was entitled “Emo” and as I’m sure you might have guessed, its contents are of the melancholy variety. It’s mostly a lot of Billie Eilish, Evanescence, Nickelback and XXXTENTACION. 

I questioned whether or not that alluded to the possible fact that the only emotion I truly understand is sadness, but that felt a bit far-fetched and like something I should leave to a psychiatrist to figure out.

I ended up creating three new playlists, entitled “Happy Sunshine Rainbows,” “I’m Every Woman (Literally)” and “Someone Might Get Hurt Today”. Those are just the ones I could get around to making with my schedule continuing to be extremely time consuming.

“Happy Sunshine Rainbows” has a bunch of cutesy pop songs and songs that make me feel bubbly inside. “I’m Every Woman (Literally)” is more of an empowerment playlist. I tend to forget that I’m really a great person, who is very multifaceted and capable, so that playlist is my reminder. “Someone Might Get Hurt Today” consists of loads of my favorite rap music and is the perfect outlet for my inner gangster, especially when it’s been provoked.

Honestly, I’m happy that I found a way to use music more constructively. Since it’s already such a big part of who I am, I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought about the idea before, but that’s neither here nor there. The most important thing is that I’ve found a way to subside my stress levels and keep myself as sane as possible.