“Music is my therapy 4 lyf”

 Words by Josie Mailisi (she/her)

I saw this quote on Instagram and it truly resonated with me. We are all guilty of mindlessly scrolling, letting the media, our environments, our family, our friends, our uni lectures dictate how we feel. 

However, there’s something so special about music. The way it pulsates through your body like an anabolic injection that brings life and emotion into your world. It offers a healing voice, a motivational spirit, and an all-round mood changer. 

A habit I started at the beginning of 2021 was waking up in the morning and asking myself, “How do I want to feel today?” Once I had decided on an emotion, I would play a song that matched that emotion and then I could switch into the right gear. 

Scientifically speaking, sound waves enter the ear, strike the eardrum, and cause vibrations, which are then translated into electric signals. Sensory nerves carry these signals to the brainstem, which serves as the brain's message relay station for auditory data. This pretty much means when we hear music, the messages to our brain change and cause an emotional response and/or action. 

Music is universal and it brings people together. We connect with people at sporting events through chants and national anthems. Protestors share their political songs with a sense of purpose during marches. In church, we sing words of worship to connect us to the higher powers. We also sing lullabies to rock a baby to sleep. 

What this shows us is music is the connection to the soul. It’s an escape to a different world, a memory, a vision, or a goal. Music is our own personal transporter. 

It’s coming up to silly season; you’ve got birthdays, exams, assignments, and a workload you didn’t even think was possible. Before you chuck it all in the ‘too hard’ basket, remember you have music. It can make you feel ~all the feels~.

Chuck on your favourite playlist and smash out your to do list. Create a playlist for “feel good vibes.” Create a “study now friend” playlist and focus on your uni. Create a “celebration” playlist for when you conquer those goals. 

Tag @psc_vuw in your playlist suggestions, we want to see what makes you feel good.

You’ve got this! Now go smash some goals my friend!