by Abby Kierst
I open up my netbook and put my earbuds in. I go to my iPod and look for a song to lose myself in. I know I’ll be here for a while with the amount of homework I have. I remember the tests I have tomorrow and feel completely overwhelmed and unsure where to start. I set my netbook to the side and give myself ten minutes to do nothing besides let the sound of my favorite band take over. After the third song, I come back to my netbook ready for all of my homework to be over and done with. I go through this routine almost every day. I’ve found that there’s a song for everything. When I’m stressed, happy, sad, mad, or just tired I know that I can always find a song that matches the way I feel. Music relaxes me when everything starts to feel like just a little too much.
It’s hard to manage it all sometimes. We’re trying to juggle school, social lives, and hobbies. It can be a lot to take on. The standards can be hard to reach, the expectations can be unrealistic, and the consequences can be harsh. Teenagers struggle with handling all of this and remaining sane. Music can be an escape from all of it. A happy tune can lift you up after a long day and a Jonas Brothers song can make you feel like a little kid again. Music is a powerful tool that we take for granted every day.
Music lifts us up. It seems like more and more people I know struggle with anxiety, depression, or self harm. I won’t say that music can cure every issue you have because it can’t (as great as that would be). What music can do is supply a distraction. It’s something to take your mind off the negative thoughts that can conquer us. Even a slow, cheerless song is better to fill your head than abusive thoughts settling in for another sleepless night.
Music doesn’t leave. So even when that best friend who was supposed to grow old with you seems like a complete stranger, the songs you love and the soon to be loved songs are still right there. Right there on that smartphone waiting to take you somewhere else where best friends really are forever.
As American poet Henry Longfellow once said, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” Some of my closest friends have been made through the mutual love of a band or a song. Music connects us in a way that nothing else can. Music bonds us together tighter than anything else.
So I hope the next time you feel exhausted or alone or suicidal or overwhelmed or anything in between you stop for a minute and play yourself an escape from your painful reality.
Anonymous • Mar 2, 2014 at 10:45 pm
this is a wonderful article. I agree in many ways. But I would like to point out that using music (or anything really) as this strong of an escape, a substitute for that friend who isn’t talking to you, can be harmful.
Music, like anything that makes you happy, changes your brain chemistry. But after a while, your brain recognizes that patterns and you don’t get as much of a mood-boosting effect. This can actually have the reverse effect, making you sad because it no longer makes you as happy as it did.
On top of that, music/art/work or anything you use to substitute in for the fact you’re lonely can become an isolating factor- something that doesn’t bring you closer to other people and just reminds you how lonely you are at those times.
Music isn’t to blame for this- it just means you should share your music with other people. Don’t plug your headphones in- play it out loud. If other people don’t like your music, either find something you all like or tell yourself it will be a reward for later when they aren’t there. I know it sounds kind of strange, but playing your music out loud often makes you feel even better because it brings together people who also like music and makes you other friends.
I know you can’t do it in Ms. Dolan’s class or the library, but I would say that to really combat those winter blues, you might consider cranking your music out loud once in a while.