Music as a tool in daily living

Leverage the elements of music & neuroscience

Music can inspire pure joy, elicit an array of emotional and physiological responses, bring us together, put us to sleep or help us wake up. Did you know there are ways to leverage the elements of music to enhance daily living in people of all ages and abilities?

Here are a few tips (my favorites are towards the bottom):

1. Exercise – by synchronizing your movements with the rhythm of music, you can decrease perceived exertion while increasing stamina and repetitions. First, find a speed/tempo that feels natural to you. Then, find a matching BPM (beats per minute) playlist of music from the genre that helps you feel motivated, and try it out!
2. Decompression playlist – try making a playlist that progresses from an undesired mood state, to a preferred mood state. For example, if you often leave work feeling stressed and you want to arrive home feeling calm and grounded, complete the stress cycle and honor your “difficult” emotions by starting a playlist with music that leans into that state of stress, and ends in the mood state in which you’d like to arrive home. Make a list of all the songs that might help you unwind, then order them from state of most stressed, to state of calm & energized. Make sure to synchronize the length of the playlist with your drive time! (Pro tip: You might find yourself creating multiple versions of this playlist, and that’s okay!)
   • Worried about getting bored? By weaving this music into your daily routine, you will build a subconscious association and cueing that lets your brain and body know it’s time to chill out.
3. Morning motivation – set yourself up for a great day by starting with music that inspires you and brings you joy! Make a morning playlist that synchronizes with your existing morning routine. It will help you keep on track subconsciously, and get your mind into an optimal state for productivity, joy, clarity, competence, or whichever state you’d like to intend.
4. Enhance embodiment and mindfulness- feeling stressed? Uneasy? Ungrounded? Uncertain of what you’re feeling? Take a moment for mind-body-soul connection by utilizing vocal toning. You can hum or sing a vowel sound on any note that comes out. How does it feel? Where do you feel it? Is there any emotion, color, texture, image, or thought that accompanies this sound? Can you slide it up and down your vocal register? How does that feel?
   • Release judgement and expectation – this isn’t a performance! It’s an act of presence and self-love that will help you connect with the version of yourself that you want to bring to the rest of the world around you.
5. Complete the stress cycle by *playing* – in every sense of the word – an instrument! This also involves releasing judgment and expectation. The purpose here is to let go and play, rather than achieve proficiency or perfection. You could use hand percussion, or an everyday household item if you don’t have any instruments. Get rhythmic with it! Have fun! Sing along and see what comes out. Have a piano and don’t know how to play it? Just play around with the black keys and see what comes out. You can play alone, or find a YouTube video of a percussionist to play along with.
   • This suggestion might be challenging to implement or understand! Give Harmony Within: Music Therapy & More a call for help in accessing your musical side, or releasing perfectionism if you are a musician who struggles with perfectionism. Remember – we are all innately musical beings, it’s just a matter of connecting with your inner musicality!

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