Music To My Ears

About three years ago, I was a hallway away from a very distressing class. The lousy day before that, I was grieving in my very annoying English class, and during that time, back then, I would rather die than step foot anywhere near that class. I wanted to hide away and leave the toxic air that would abuse my nose. That was the air that everyone had to breathe. Not just anyone, but disgraceful, mean, arrogant, and high-maintenance people. I hated that air.

The smell of rich Frat boy cologne, Victoria's Secret perfume, overconfidence, and money. I did not deserve to breathe that air. The smell of the rich is very intimidating. I always hated it. It always made me feel like I don’t belong, for I only know the smell of grease, hatred, and poverty. Despite my disdain for my toxic environment, my feet dragged me to that English class. That was the class that started it all.

That was the class that started the pain, failure, exhaustion, and mostly my depression.

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That day, the teacher was writing down our characterless assignments when I naturally took out my prized possession. The headphones that I keep with me every day and sit in the front pocket of my overpriced wannabe rich girl backpack, were finally gonna give me the joy that I needed to get through such an atrocious place. I had put my headphones in my ear, and then I put on the playlist that I had put on every day.

Listening to music was like a drug that I needed. The music made me feel detached to a nightmare, and into a world where I live the life that I feel comfortable being myself. Music has always been a huge part of my life. Without music, how would the world express itself? Music, to me, has shown me the power it has to change our moods, how we think, and overall make us happier and live in the moment. Seeing how much music affects people, I see how society incorporates it in our mental health. To me, music is the top-recommended therapy for the cure of mental illness.

From what I know, there are many different and effective types of Therapy. As of recent years, the two most popular types of Therapy are Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Harvard). In the beginning of Psychotherapy, you can expect there to be a lot of talk about a person's upbringing and background (Therapy). There are also conversations about how and why the person came to the conclusion to inquire about this help in the first place. The Psychotherapist then comes with a solution for the patient (APA Div. 12). This type of therapy is especially beneficial for people who feel like they are not heard. Psychotherapists, most often, make a patient know that they are conscious of all of the pain that they had to deal with and that they are not alone in what battle they have to face.

This type of Therapy immediately made me think of listening to music. Have you ever listened to a song and it describes exactly what you are going through? That type of feeling makes us know that we are not the only ones dealing with a certain situation. Sometimes, we listen to songs that relate so much to what we are or have dealt with, and it makes us emotional and wants to listen to it until eventually, balls of tears stream down our face. The same concept goes for Cognitive-behavioral Therapy. This type of therapy, most often, tries to motivate new thinking patterns. A commendable exercise during this treatment would be trying to grow an exceptional understanding of the different behavior and motivations others might have (APA Div. 12). This Therapy draws me back to the idea of music because music can be such a persuasive platform. It is understandable if one does not agree with what some songs stand for and refuse to accept how other songwriters might think, but it is a start to seek into the mind of so many people. For people who are prejudiced or might be racist, there are so many songs about equality.

For people who have had their heartbroken and don’t ever want to be in a relationship ever again, there are so many songs about not giving up on love just because of one setback. For some women who feel like they are too big or too skinny, there are so many songs about how appearance does not define your beauty like “Beautiful by Konshens”. In conclusion, music has evolved into a platform where you can express the hardships that other people might be going through as well, and it is even more powerful when you can see how some songs might change your way of thinking. This is the best type of Therapy because there is no waiting on a waiting list to see a psychotherapist. There is no waiting a week to go by so you can express how you feel. There is no keeping secrets from your therapist so you won’t be judged. All you have to do is hit the play button.

Music has many effects on our emotions. It has the power to make us feel whatever the songwriter wants us to feel. Sometimes we can get so lost in a song, that we do not even recognize the mental health benefits that it contains. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, little children who were hospitalized to the emergency department and listened to music during whatever procedure that they needed, had been recognized to have less distress and lower pain scores (Hartling). So not only is it a Therapy for our mental illness, but there are also some health benefits too like lower pain scores even if it might not be significant. Music is a type of Therapy that people use every day and do not even realize it. It affects the mental illnesses that we have to suffer, mood, the way we think, and sometimes even our health in just just about two minutes when the song is over.

Sometimes it is hard to let go of what hurt you so much. I will never forget how I opened the doors of the cafeteria at my old High School and walked to the bathroom ignoring the hallway police. I passed by the girls in the mirrors admiring themselves and walked into the smallest bathroom stall. I sat on the toilet and tried to breathe. Hot tears were streaming down my face. I kept thinking to myself “Why couldn’t I be dead. I hate it here. I want to go home”. I went and sat on the bathroom floor instead, and I threw my lunch in the toilet and flushed. I started to sob. I wanted to be with my family back in my country. I wanted to be with my mom. I wanted her comfort and her love.

That moment in time always reminds me of how the music made me feel not alone. I listened to “Dying Inside by Gary Barlow” whenever I felt like I was the only person in the world who was suicidal. Whenever I wanted to cheer myself up, I listened to “I Smile by Kirk Franklin”. Whenever I was insecure about my skin color, listening to “Keep Ya Head Up by Tupac”. Music has the power to change people for the better, and never fails to improve our mental health and illnesses. That is why music is the top-recommended therapy for the cure of mental illness.