In my last article, I spoke about politics and social awareness. This month I wanted to kick things off by talking about “musical daydreaming-my escape”. When life has me down, confused or just straight-up bored, I use music as an escape to find a little bit of happiness and a temporary escape to somewhere else, free of what currently ails me. What’s your escape?
Through the years, and without really knowing it, I’ve used music to escape to another place and that place is my “mind palace.” My mind palace is a harmonious symphony of sounds, notes and freedoms. My music escape can be relaxed, easy and jazzy to free me from boredom, or it can be hard and rock-full to help me through tough situations. I also use music to express how I feel when I just don’t want to use words. This reminds me of one of the senior quotes I used for my yearbook- “ My singing tells you what I’m feeling, so listen up.” I chose this quote because I’m constantly listening to lyrics that express what I’m going through. So, I guess you could say music is the soundtrack to my life. I also use music to transform my outward appearance. If I’m feeling down, I’ll play music to hype me up and put a smile on my face, so someone looking at me would think I’m happy and not upset. I even use music as my friend when I feel alone, which is a coping mechanism for me.
As you have just read, music is very therapeutic for me. But, I also know that this musical therapy isn’t for everyone. I’d love to hear what your escape is, as others may be able to use it as well. Below is some music, by category, that I invite you to listen to, so you too can musically escape. I look forward to you being a part of my soundtrack! Please check out my Instagram @holleyp500 after reading and listening, to continue the conversation and provide feedback.
All can be found on Spotify:
My Four Big Motivation Songs:
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Titanium (feat. Sia)- David Guetta, Sia
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The Man- Taylor Swift
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Flames- David Guetta, Sia
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High Hopes- Panic at the Disco
Dance to the Beat Songs:
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Can’t Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
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Bang!- AJR
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Walls Could Talk- Halsey
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Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez) – BLACKPINK, Selena Gomez
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You Make Me Feel… (feat. Sabi) – Cobra Starship, Sabi
Woman Empowerment Songs:
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BOYSHIT- Madison Beer
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Kings & Queens – Ava Max
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Free Woman – Lady Gaga
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Salute- Little Mix
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Confident- Demi Lavato
When I am Feeling Low Songs and want to relate to something:
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Human- Christina Perri
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Bring Me To Life- Evanescence
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Lonely (with benny blanco)- Justin Biber, benny blanco
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Rain- Brian Crain
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Hurts Like Hell (feat. Offset)- Madison Beer
Love + Sexy vibe Songs:
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Love Story (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
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Thousand Years – Christina Perri
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Ain’t My Fault (feat. Lil Yachty) Remix- Zara Larsson, Lil Yachty
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Hard For Me – Michele Morrone
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Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys
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I See Red – Everybody Loves an Outlaw