Whatever genre you’re into, music has been proven time and time again to benefit mental health. It can help you cope with tricky emotions and regulate the way you’re feeling throughout the day.

Since it’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and we’re all about music, we thought it would be a perfect time to share some ideas on how you might use music to increase your wellbeing.

Listening to music can elevate your mood and motivation, help you relax and increases the efficiency of your brain. If you want to proactively use music in this way you’ll need to know the best music to listen to and when.

• If you’re in need of some motivation use your favourite music as a motivational force. Crank up the volume on a killer tune and chances are you’ll find it much easier to get started.
• When you’re struggling to focus turn to classical music, it’s tempo of 60 bpm is proven to increase the efficiency of the brain when processing information. Have it playing softly in the background and you’ll soon be focusing on the task in hand. There have also been some studies suggesting that listening to electronic dance music helps sharpen focus when you’re studying.. worth a try!
• If you’re finding it hard to express yourself try speaking through your music. Creating music in any form, writing lyrics, composing a song or simply jamming with your instrument will help you process your emotions. No one has to hear your music, but you may find it helps you find the words you’re looking for to express yourself more easily.
• When you’re feeling lonely or isolated music naturally creates a conversation and a community. Even while we can’t get out to music lessons, gigs and festivals we can still find a conversation online about our music style. So many artists and groups are sharing music and creating a conversation you can be part of, music connects people.
• If you’re struggling to sleep try a little relaxing music, something classical or meditative. It’s been proven over and over that this will help you sleep. In a study of students the group who listened to relaxing music before bed all experienced improved sleeping over those who listened to nothing, or those listening to audiobooks.
• If you have some pent-up anger, try some ‘angry’ music. Music is a powerful tool to help us process negative emotions. Loud, aggressive music can be therapeutic if you’re dealing with stress and anger. Just don’t do it before bed or you’ll never sleep!

We all know that music is good for our mood but hopefully this article will help you harness the power of music in a practical way to improve your wellbeing, however you’re feeling today.

This article is part of our program of content for Mental Health Awareness Week. Check out our social channels to see what else we’re up to in support of this important cause including how you can get your hands on an original artwork of the cover image for this article to support the mental health charity Mind.