There is a certain beauty in being able to press the play button and having a song that speaks to you, long before you know who you really are. Music has a power to reach places that even conversations, textbooks, and therapy sessions often fail to penetrate. It helps us heal from heartbreaks, honors our victories, and sits quietly with us in times when we are at a loss for words.
Music is therapeutic because it gives us the space to feel our emotions. When everyone around tells us to just move past the pain, to get to work, and to keep going, music allows us the opportunity to stop and acknowledge our feelings.
Music and Emotion: Why We Coinnect So Deeply
Different musicians turn out to be different companions for different stages of life.
When you need peace and solace, Jhene Aiko is someone who seems like a sigh of relief after a long and tiring day. Her gentle melodies inspire healing, introspection, and opting for yourself.
When you need enlightenment in the form of soulful lyrics, Lauryn Hill teaches you about issues of identity, love, and resilience that never get outdated.
In the case when heartbreak hurts you too much, Jazmine Sullivan tells everything that most of people are too shy to say. She gives a voice to pain in the form of poetry by being vulnerable.
PartyNextDoor gets those midnight musings—those moments when you wonder whether you should text the person you’re trying not to think about.
Drake somehow makes people thankful for what they achieved but also emotional about those issues that they believe they have overcome.
And then there comes Bryson Tiller who manages to capture the very essence of the conflict between wanting closure and having one last go.
It gives us permission to feel our emotions without bottling them up. It reassures us that some other person has made it through whatever ordeal that is plaguing us.
FUNNY BREAK: THE PLAYLIST PERSONALITY CRISIS
If someone looked at my playlists without knowing me, they would assume at least six different people use my account.
One minute, Jhene Aiko is playing and suddenly I’m romanticizing self-care. I’m drinking water out of my emotional support Stanley cup, opening a journal I forgot I owned, and convincing myself that deleting people from my life is actually character development.
Then Lauryn Hill comes on.
Now I’m questioning society, reflecting on my standards, and giving myself life advice like I have decades of wisdom. I walk around the house acting like I’ve unlocked the secrets to the universe after one song.
But then Drake enters the chat.
Now I’m staring out the passenger window pretending I’m in a music video. The sky looks deeper. The trees somehow have meaning. Someone asks me if I want Chick-fil-A, and somehow I’m thinking about old friendships, opportunities I missed, and whether success is lonely.
Then Bryson Tiller starts playing.
Immediately, my brain loses all common sense.
“You’ve healed.”
“I know.”
“You’ve grown.”
“I definitely have.”
“But what if they changed?”
Girl… put the phone down.
Because no amount of background vocals should have you considering texting someone who responded to your paragraph with “lol.”
And if PartyNextDoor comes on after 11 p.m., all critical thinking skills disappear. Suddenly everybody is “misunderstood,” every red flag looks pink, and somehow you become an expert at creating fictional scenarios that absolutely are not happening.
By morning, common sense returns.
Until the playlist starts over.
FUNNY BREAK: IF THERAPISTS PRESCRIBED MUSIC
Picture yourself in therapy and instead of being prescribed medication, you’re handed a list of music.
“So, what’s up?”
You respond by saying that you feel like you’re going through a lot. You’re stressed out from school, tired from work, and confused about your future.
She nods in agreement and scribbles something on a piece of paper.
“Alright. For stress, I would prescribe thirty minutes of Jhene Aiko.”
You jot this down.
“For boosting self-esteem and a sense of perspective, twice a day listen to Lauryn Hill.”
“Alright.”
For emotional release, Jazmine Sullivan as needed.”
“What about my ‘situationship’?”
She sighs.
“No PartyNextDoor after sunset.”
“What if I’m just listening?”
“You are never just listening.”
“And what about Bryson Tiller?”
“That, only under adult supervision.”
“And Drake?”
“I will prescribe you Drake for daytime hours. There’s no way I want you reevaluating your whole life at twelve forty-three at night before your eight o’clock class.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“So does this cost anything?”
“No, but Spotify premium is suggested.”
More Than Entertainment
Music is more than just the soundtrack to the cleaning of our rooms, studying for our tests, and driving to classes. Music becomes a part of our memories, a part of our lives, of those songs we listened to in some of the best days of our lives and in those dark seasons we went through.
It makes us relive the past, validate who we are today, and even aspire to be in the future.
The music we love and go back to is often the music that was there when nobody could say anything better.
Therefore, next time you’re asked why your headphones are always on, let the person know what’s really happening.
Because music isn’t just entertaining you.
It’s healing you, helping you, reminding you, making you survive.
Five Ways to Turn Music into Therapy
- Create Feeling-Based Playlists
Rather than categorizing music based on genre, consider categorizing it based on how it makes you feel.
- Music for healing
- Music for boosting confidence
- Music for studying
- Music for crying
- Music for celebrating
- Music for pretending you’re the star of a movie montage
- Accept How You Feel
Not all sad music makes us sad. Some helps us understand how we feel. - Find Moments to Listen Purposefully
Set aside the distractions of life—turn off your phone, close your eyes, go for a drive—and listen. - Sing Without Judgment
Singing does not mean you must be in tune. You’ll work out some stress and elevate your spirits. - Share Your Playlist
Recommendations are simply another form of saying, “This music helped me; perhaps it will help you.”
Music not only entertains, but comforts & heals
-Endiyah Turner|chapter writer