Depression vector created by pch.vector - www.freepik.com and Inkscape.org
Singing when tensed helps you avoid anxiety and depression.
— Fact (@Fact) August 15, 2022
This is yet another post by 
Hello, my name is Dr Ebingo Kigigha, I am an aspiring psychiatrist and an illustrator. I am the main writer here is Medic Vibes. Medic Vibes is all about Depression and we make medic-themed shirts.
Today's post is about signing, depression and anxiety.
Here is an interesting post I saw on Twitter.
Depression be tryna stop the bag. It will not have you in the mood to do nothingðŸ˜ðŸ˜©
— miah (@Miah_Loveee) August 14, 2022
In response, I would say that this is one of the symptoms of depression and usually even activities that are usually seen as pleasurable are not worthy of doing when a person is depressed.
Depression is a life-threatening condition that affects people of all ages. Depression causes a reduced standard of living and treatment requires therapy and lifestyle modifications for effective treatment.
Some of the symptoms of depression are a sad mood, and a noticeable reduction in the pleasure derived from previously enjoyable activities. The victims of this condition usually also experience weight loss or weight gain, there could be marked changes in the patient's appetite.
Those who face depression are at significant risk of suicide and special care need to be taken when handling them.
When a depressed person says words that draw attention to them as regards their life. Like if they say "Life is no longer worth living" or they express a wish to die then action needs to be taken.
Check your country's suicide hotlines here.
Singing and Depression
The first post available that I see now is from Healthline.com. On Healthline's post Benefits of Singing,
Among the first benefits was the relief of stress as found in a study in 2017 where cortisol (stress hormone) levels were found to be lower among those who sang in the study.
The study included 16 participants 9 women and 7 men with an average of about 32 and singing experience of 20 years. Each of them had performed an average of close to 40 times in the past year.
During the 2017 study, the participants were made to sing in the nighttime when cortisol levels are lowest. They were made to perform without an audience and another time with an audience.
Saliva samples and questioners were filled before the performance and during the performance at breaks to avoid confounders.
The results were clear that people are more relaxed after singing. The conclusion of the study gave room for more study to be done.
Given that life stressors can be a cause of depression, I find this worthy note, but the Healthline article did not stop there.
According to Rebecca Joy of Healthline singing also helps deal with grief.
She also discussed a 2019 study done on those who were grieving.
The study comprised of people who had been grieving for 5 years but had not been to therapy for the last 12 weeks or had anxiety or depression medication in the last 4 weeks. The participants were split into 2 and data was collected severally over a 24-week period.
The participants who sang for 90 mins weekly were shown to be more stable regarding the symptoms of depression they expressed.
The study concluded that singing is a promising supportive therapy for those who were grieving.
Right now I'm very happy about this information. I find it very satisfying and it explains a lot about why some people (like me) sing when they are tensed or sad.
Infact I satred learin how to play the keyboard and sing after a girl broke my heart...lol...
Go ahead and break my heart again
Finneas
LOL.
Tip
I'm going to have to stick simply with the research results on this one. Try singing when you are sad. You don't have to do it very well. You might not be a singer, do it for yourself. Do it because you want to feel better.
You probably should find a place where no one will bother you will you sing, or join a band, choir or a group where your effort will be appreciated.
Go to church and sing or go to a concert where everyone is singing and just join in.
Find an excuse to sing, we are very similar to birds in this way...we all make sounds...unique sound
If you are a Hive user you could consider joining any of our music communities like #hiveopenmic or #music community. I know they have helped me get over a lot of sad times, I know they will work so well for you too.
Hive stories
Group illustrations by Storyset
I have written a few times about postpartum depression and to see someone win this battle here on Hive gives me joy.
You should consider reading her post here.
Questions
- How to do you feel when you sing?
- Have you ever dealt with depression with singing?
- How do you find alone time to sing?
- How do you feel about singing on stage?