Music Therapy is an Excellent Self Care Resource, Utilize it!
It can be difficult to care for yourself in the midst of the very stressful high school years. Being a teenager comes with a lot of confusing and complicated times, and a lot of teens struggle to find meaningful self-care practices. If you have been looking for self-care activities to try to unwind and encourage a positive mood, then consider implementing music therapy into your life. Music therapy not only helps us work through whatever issues we may be facing, but it is fun and engaging as well! Music therapy has been shown to improve overall mood in many individuals, and is a great resource for dealing with anxiety or depression. In this article, you can learn how to implement self-care routines with the help of music therapy.
You can find all of the following information on music therapy and self-care in this article:
Engaging with music therapy improves people’s moods and outlooks on life in several ways. First of all, music is generally an uplifting resource. People can experience happiness or relaxation when listening to any kind of music. Music therapy helps people to engage with music in a way that lifts them up and helps them to work through whatever issues they may be facing. Music therapy gives people the self-esteem boost they may need to begin to approach the things they are struggling with in their lives. Engaging with music (writing your own or learning to play a piece on your instrument of choice) is an amazing way to boost self-confidence - something that encourages continued self-care in people of all ages.
If you are thinking about implementing music therapy into your life as a form of self-care, there are a few things that you may encounter in a session with a music therapist.
One very common activity in a music therapy session is guided listening. This can mean a few different things. You may be listening to a piece of music one on one with your music therapist or with a group of people if you are in a group music therapy session. Guided listening usually entails being asked a question or asked to think about an issue you’ve been working through in music therapy while listening to a piece of music.
Another activity that you may take part in if you go to a music therapist is some type of music and imagery visualization. This may look something like listening to a piece of music or playing a piece of music and then describing through writing, a drawing/painting or other form of visual art that is representative of what the music made you visualize.
Another great activity that you can explore in music therapy is sharing music. This is especially great in group music therapy sessions. Patients bring in music that they resonate with, and share it with the group. This promotes a feeling of comradery, boosts self-esteem and is a great way to engage with a group of other people who are interested in music therapy as well.
Music therapy can mean a lot of different things. Through the Incadence website, you have the ability to contact a music therapist entirely online and have a one on one session with them. Other forms of music therapy include in-person one on one music therapy or in-person group therapy. Many hospitals offer music therapy for patients with prolonged visits or for patients dealing with pain, depression or anxiety. Music therapy (or any therapy really) is a form of self-care. Music therapy helps to boost self-confidence and is an excellent way to reduce anxiety and depression. If you are looking for a new way to incorporate forms of self-care into your life, look into music therapy-- it has endless benefits.
All in all, self-care is an incredibly important thing to keep in mind during your teenage years. Music therapy is a great way to show yourself care and to make sure you are not bottling up the things that might be causing you distress.
Edited by Cara Jernigan on January 15, 2021
