New Year resolutions bring with them expectations of not only achievement but also hope for being different. Aspirations for change or lifestyle refinement are admirable and come from an inner desire for improvement and inner-happiness. Many resolutions bring along burdens of expectations that can often add uncomfortable feelings and take the joy out of life. When aiming to lose twenty pounds by working out more, how does pumping iron to Mozart sound? When trying to get along better with the in-laws becomes a whirlwind of anxiety, how does whistling Coldplay’s new album sound?
Music for stress reduction has been around since the Bible times like when David the shepherd boy played the harp for King Saul of Israel. Continuing today, music therapy has been established in the 1990s as an effective tool for alleviating the symptoms of depression. What better way is there to usher in a New Year’s resolution than to crank the boom-box to maximum volume and shout Don Giovanni opera lyrics or play air-drums during a P90X workout. A 2011 psychiatric journal article contested to the value in implementing music into one’s regimen especially when combatting depressive symptoms (Maratos, Crawford & Procter, 2011). The author notes that music itself does not evoke particular responses (e.g. chemical or behavioral) but rather is associated with relational, emotional, and aesthetic experiences. These experiences tend to increase one’s ability to adaptively engage life and activate resources for achievement.
The world of music is so large that infusing music one’s lifestyle is very easy. Musical genres such as classical or jazz are great entry level choices to overlay with new activities this year such as exercise that can help reduce the burden of completing challenging goals.
(An example of implementing music into an otherwise sad event: these airplane passengers experienced an impromptu chorale performance when delayed for around two hours on the tarmac—some alleviated stress for sure! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ynyt7fshIY)
Maratos, A., Crawford, M. J., & Procter, S. (2011). Music therapy for depression: it seems to work, but how?. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 199, 92-93. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.110.087494
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