One of the fun things about this blogging process is that I can connect with people from all over the world. Sarah Scrafford is a person I just recently started networking with. She has written some interesting articles at
www.rncentral.com . I am proud to introduce her today as my first guest contributor at The Mental Emotional Health Blog. You will probably see more guests sharing their thoughts and feelings as time goes by. For now, here is Sarah’s article to enjoy. You can check out more of her writing through the link in her by-line at the bottom. Thank you, Sarah!
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The Chords that Bind Body and Mind
Music has charms to soothe the savage beast – so said William Congreve, and from personal experience, I have to agree with him. Now I’m certainly no savage beast, although I do have a temper that I let go sometimes. And at times when my emotions run wild, music does do more than its part to calm me down and put me back on an even keel. Long before Congreve even walked this earth, thousands and thousands of years ago when man was first developing a language to communicate, mothers hit upon the truth that soothing lullabies could rock even the crankiest babies to sleep. And I read a while ago (courtesy, the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) that music, especially tunes that are favorites, has powers to enhance cognition and memory and also improve physical health and immunity. Well, I’m no expert on the relationship between music and the cognitive enhancement process, but I do wish to share the following observations:
- Music and memories are twisted together like the rings of a pretzel – every familiar song is laden with nostalgia takes you back to where or when you heard it first or reminds you of someone you heard it with or sang it for. The depth of feeling that overwhelms you depends on the impact that memory has made on you and on how much it still affects you.
- Music does a great job of drawing out emotions hidden deep inside your soul – upbeat and happy tunes make you want to dance if you’re in a good place in your life; if you’re not, well, you want to just shut that wailing out! Sad songs with depressing lyrics make you want to cry if you’re going through a situation that empathizes with that described by the song. And sometimes, a good cry is all you need – it’s therapeutic and helps you move on from the sorrow.
- One man’s music is another’s poison – how often have you fought with siblings or parents or friends over the choice of radio station in the car? And if I had a penny for the number of parents who did not see eye to eye on their offspring’s choice of music, I’d be a billionaire even speaking conservatively.
- People who love the same kind of music are drawn to each other – probably a recipe for marriages made in heaven.
- There are some kinds of music that you fall in love with at first bite (sound) and others that grow on you like the mangy mutt that followed you home and looked at you with adoring eyes.
- Some songs make you want to sing along, even if you can’t carry a tune to save yourself and even if you don’t know the lyrics.
Music, in any form, is attractive to some person or the other. It’s been proved that soft and melodious music improves overall wellbeing in people who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. Mental affliction or not, music does create its own magic in the listener’s soul.
By-line: This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Care Plans. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.
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