Video Transcription
Session #4: Rethinking Your Music Listening Habits
Let’s rethink our music-listening habits. Music can be a friend that goes everywhere with you—it’s there at parties, through epic journeys, and in relationships. It’s with you in the good times and the bad ones too.
I have songs from my favourite bands that will always remind me of my first gig. Some people have songs that take them back to climbing a mountain, dancing the night away, or visiting a special place. It might be music from a movie, a game, a city, or a country—but that music transports you to a certain place. It’s reliable like that, almost every time.
Now, think about the music you listen to when you’re feeling down. Where does it take you? Does it lift you to a better place, or does it follow you as you spiral further down? Did you know that music can take you in both directions? It’s powerful like that.
Here are a couple of things I read recently in research:
- Sometimes we rely on music so much to help us get through hard times that we become isolated and don’t reach out to friends or family for support.
- Other times, certain songs might trigger unhelpful or unsafe coping strategies, especially when we’re really upset and struggling.
Try to remember the last time you listened to a particular song when you were feeling low. What song was it? How did you feel while listening? Tune into your body to find the answer—did you feel confident, or did you feel sadder? Did you feel worked up, or did you feel lighter and brighter the longer you listened?
Most of us forget to check in on how we feel after we’ve listened to a song. We just assume that if we’re working through emotions, it must be helping. Even if we cry every time we hear that song, we think it’s probably good, right? After all, we’re processing. We’re working through our emotional stuff.
But sometimes, we’re not. There are moments in life when it’s time to say “enough.” Those moments are usually low points—moments when we can’t stop wallowing. This is called rumination, and it’s all about repetition: going over the same thing again and again, getting stuck, or spiralling. Very little good comes from it.
So, if that’s you, there’s one thing you can do: change the song. Choose something that lifts you up instead of pulling you down. Just try it. See if you can.
If you want more help, check out our video on choosing the right song for right now.
Video by Uni Melbourne
