I recently saw a post on Instagram by Hank Smith that said:
“The happiest people are deliberate about the music they listen to.” Hank Smith
That got me thinking.
How many of you remember the radio?
No, really?
How many of you remember when you listened to the songs that someone else picked and decided to play on the radio?
There were the few cassette tapes or records you may have bought so you could play those at home when you wanted to, but usually you just listened to what was playing on the radio.
Now things are totally different.
We get to choose what songs we listen to.
How intentional are YOU about what you listen to?
Do you think about how you want to feel before choosing music to play?
Did you realize there is a choice?
Do you want to feel restless, angry, happy, motivated, excited, playful…?
The list could go on and on.
Have you even considered that you get to choose?
What if we were more deliberate about what music we listen to?
Let’s do a little test.
I’m going to play different clips of songs and I want you to pay attention to how they make you feel.
Tense: Skull and Crossbones. Pirates of the Caribbean: Klaus Badelt
Happy: Life’s a Happy Song from The Muppets soundtrack
Playful: I Ain’t Worried by One Republic. Top Gun
Excited: I Lived by One Republic
Nostalgic: Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts (Son’s Wedding)
Motivated: Rocky Theme. Gonna Fly Now
Spiritual: El Shaddai by Hillary Weeks
I’ll put in the show notes who each of these songs are by.
I realize that different songs may bring up different feelings for different people.
Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts is nostalgic for me because it was played at my son’s wedding.
I Lived by One Republic makes me excited because it’s what I listened to over and over when I was getting ready to do the Tarzan Swing that I talked about last week.
How did each of these songs make YOU feel?
Here’s a challenge for you:
Play some random music from your phone. Put all your songs on shuffle.
Pay attention to how you feel as you listen to each song and ask yourself:
Do I like the way I feel when I hear this song?
Do I feel motivated?
Do I feel sad?
Do I feel discouraged?
Happy, upbeat music causes our brains to produce chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which evokes feelings of joy, whereas calming music relaxes the mind and the body.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling sad, but maybe make a playlist with those types of songs so when you’re feeling down about something that makes sense to feel sad about and you want to feel the feelings, play that list. Sad music can bring comfort when used at the right time, compare that song to the presence of an empathic friend — someone who truly understands what you’re going through.
If you’re trying to motivate yourself to do something, those sad songs aren’t going to be very helpful are they.
Make a motivational playlist and use that when you’re trying to get motivated.
In a 2015 study they found that people who listened to music before, during, or after surgery experienced less pain and anxiety, compared to patients who did not listen to music.
The music listeners didn’t even need as much pain medication
Think about those overplayed commercials that show happy couples on the beach that look happy but if you read the fine print, it’s giving you a dictionary-size list of potential side-effects.
That is not the case with music. Music can improve your mood, quality of life, and self-esteem, but it is also:
- Extremely safe
- Non-invasive
- Easily accessible
- Non-expensive
Did you also know that a better overall mood and demeanor are linked to:
- Better physical health
- Higher income
- Greater relationship satisfaction
See what I mean?
Be intentional about the music that you listen to.
It’s so much easier than it used to be.
Changing cassette tapes was a big deal….hense the need for mix tapes.
If you’re older than 40ish, you remember mix tapes.
The old version of playlists!
Here’s what I decided to DO after seeing Mr. Smith’s post on Instagram.
I’m going to pay attention to why I am doing what I’m doing and be more intentional about the music I choose to listen to while I’m doing it. I want my feeling to match my why!
I’m going to created motivational, spiritual, peaceful, inspirational playlists on my phone so I can match the feeling I want with the music I’m listening to.
How about you?
What playlists are you going to create?
Make a mix tape if that is more your speed.
I’d love to hear what playlists you create. I’d love more ideas of lists to make for myself!
Until next week:
Thanks for joining me here today and remember:
I see you. I understand how hard you’re trying, and I’d like to help however I can.
Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you back here next week.
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