Music + Neuroplasticity:
Rewiring the Adolescent Brain to Treat Mental Health Disorders
Exercises
Three easy music therapy exercises to try on your own! They are based on selected exercises from certified music therapist Jennifer Buchanan's wonderful book, Tune in: A Music Therapy Approach to Life: Use Music Intentionally to Curb Stress, Boost Morale, and Restore Health. Give them a try!
Anchor Songs
Anchor songs are songs that trigger memories as soon as you hear them. Think of them as your life's "theme songs" or background music! Every time you play an anchor song, it immediately brings you into a certain emotional state related to the memories or feelings you've associated the song with. You can incorporate anchor songs into your daily life to bring yourself into a particular frame of mind.
Here are a few examples to get you started. Choose a personal song (or an entire playlist) to anchor the following situations:
“Get ready for school” songs that motivate you for the day.
“Study so I pass my test” songs that help you remain focused.
“Relax after a stressful day” songs that take you from feeling chaotic and distressed to calm in minutes.
"Clean my room" songs that fill you with positive energy to tidy up your surroundings.
“I like to move it” songs that make you want to get up and dance, run, bike, or go for a walk.
"Happy" songs that remind you of a wonderful moment you experienced and make you smile.
Construct a playlist that evokes the feeling you want to have. When you play your anchor songs, you're actively choosing to be in control of your emotions, instead of passively listening to music.
Decrease Stress
Try this exercise when you're feeling anxious or stressed.
Start with identifying the music that soothes you most. The tempo and genre will be unique to you, so don’t think “oh this is too fast” or “too slow.” If the music makes you feel better, then that’s the music you need. Once you have a selection of five to six songs that induce the feeling of calmness, you are ready to begin.
Find a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lay down, preferably near the sound source, or wear a comfortable pair of headphones. Test the volume to ensure it is strong enough to capture your attention, yet low enough so you won’t hurt your eardrums.
Before turning on the music, take a few minutes to observe your breathing. Re-adjust your body until you feel you are in a comfortable position, remaining aware of your breath as it moves in and out of your body. As thoughts arise, let them drift past; never let them linger for long. Bring your focus back to your breath and turn on your pre-selected music.
Slowly shift your focus entirely onto the music. Follow the melody; pay attention to the pauses in the music; acknowledge the comfort this music brings to you. Continue for twenty minutes.
Keep in mind that when we are the most stressed we may be inclined to view music listening as a waste of time. However, it is when we are the most inclined to push music away that perhaps we need it most. When you have the right resources available—the music that soothes, with listening equipment that will allow you to relax into it, you will find this brief exercise can boost your productivity and improve your mood by reducing stress.
Trigger Your Happy
Imagine a particularly stressful day. Perhaps you feel anxious around a particular person, or perhaps something has just happened that makes you uncomfortable and you know you will have to deal with it.
Imagine how your body physically feels when these stresses occur. What is your breathing pattern? Do you feel any particular pressure points in your body? Is there a weariness not there previously?
Once you have visualized this feeling, imagine you have just come home. You go to your favourite place where you can relax and collect your thoughts. Suddenly, you remember you have an important math test tomorrow for which you haven't studied, but your body is not at all ready to cram for this test!
What music would help you feel better immediately, help motivate you, and charge you enough so you don’t feel so overwhelmed? The piece you choose should take you out of your current emotional state and move you into your desired emotional state. You should feel willing to go and study!
Mentally go through your music library and find just the right music. If it is hard to find an actual song, then pick a particular singer or a certain genre of music. In your mind, play as much of this song as you can for the next thirty to sixty seconds then record how your physical and emotional state has changed.
Did you feel how quickly your physical and emotional state shifted? Even if you only thought about a song and didn't actually play the song in your mind, I bet things still shifted!
