I felt like I was always swimming with Tom Petty. His songs were a staple of music blaring from the speakers of our local pool, evoking memories of Coppertone, Sun-In and my parents old Camry, where the cloth seats were always wet from our bathing suits and always seemed to smell like chlorine in the summer. When Tom Petty died this week and his songs were playing in memoriam, my brain became flooded with snippets of moments of my childhood, bringing with it a wide range of emotions connected to that stage in my life. There was a sense of nostalgia and melancholy that recalled how care-free and joyful that part of my life was, but also how far removed I now am now because of age.
According to Christopher Bergland (2013), our autobiographical memories connected to music remain deep and textured because songs from our past can fire up neuropathways in our brain connected to emotions, creativity and motor actions. Research has found that a song will stay purer and will evoke stronger specific memories of a time and place if it’s a song you haven’t heard in years.
Benefits of Music
Music has long been known to be beneficial for improving mental health and medical conditions, as well as improving one’s overall well-being and quality of life. Decades-long research have found that music has been found to:
- Reduce depression in those experiencing chronic pain
- Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in those diagnosed with schizophrenia
- Improve anxiety and social resilience
- Improve speech ability in those recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury
- Reduce the need for pain medication in those patients undergoing medical procedures
- Help Parkinson’s patients initiate movement
- Improve symptoms in those diagnosed with dementia
Music can elicit positive emotions, improve mood, increase focus and concentration and motivate you for better performance (picture Michael Phelps or Lebron James with their headphones on before meets and games).
Ways to Use Music
Below are several ways to incorporate music into your life to improve overall well-being and even form deeper connections:
- Instead of listening to talk radio while driving to work, consider listening to classical music or a favorite playlist to help reduce stress associated with going to the office.
- Identify several meaningful songs from your childhood and share those memories with your partner or children.
- When stressed or overly anxious, turn on a song, and use it as a meditation – listen to the different instruments in the song, identifying the different layers, vocals and beats as a way to be mindful and redirect from negative thoughts.
- Use music as a motivator to do chores or activities that you have been putting off or can’t seem to finish – set a goal of completing one small task in the timeframe of a song.
Music can be a great comfort in times of sadness and joy and a great therapeutic tool for those struggling. As Tom said in “Learning to Fly:”
Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
I'm learning to fly, around the clouds
But what goes up must come down
We are all still learning to fly and that’s not a bad thing.
Erin Swinson, LMHCA, LPC
Therapist
Clarity Clinic
Bergland, C. (2013). Why Do the Songs from Your Past Evoke Such Vivid Memories? Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2017 from
American Psychiatric Association (2016). Music, the mind and healing. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2017 from https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/apa-blog/2016/09/music-the-mind-and-healing.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Lyrics. (n.d.). Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2017 from https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tompettyandtheheartbreakers/learningtofly.html
