Music As Medicine

For me the best way of coping with the emotional fallout from my separation was to focus on small manageable things I could do to help myself.  One of the things I love about music is its ability to change my mood.

I decided to set up a playlist of uplifting songs on my iPod to see if listening to them would help.  It didn’t work every time but most of the time it did.  I think sometimes we get stuck ruminating on the sad thoughts about what has happened, turning the volume up and focusing on some good music is a great way to clear your head and be more positive.

To start with most of the tracks on my playlist were dance tracks that didn’t have any lyrics – when your heart is broken sometimes it feels like the whole world is singing about you!  Then I moved on to angsty female artists (Pink, Alanis Morisette, Sheryl Crow etc) Now my list is more mixed it keeps growing and changing and the only rule is that the songs I include have to make me grin when they come on.

So if you see a girl on the tube listening to her iPod tapping her foot and grinning ear to ear… it might just be me.

My favourite feel good tunes include:
I’m Still Standing – Elton John
America – Razorlight
You Learn – Alanis Morrisette
So What – Pink
Moneybox – Eliza Dolittle
Grounds for Divorce – Elbow
Thorn in my Side – Eurythmics

What are yours?