It’s really pitiful when most people in times of pain or wistful situations resort to drugs and abuse alcohol all in a bid to get over their sorrows, this act to most is by “default” all in the quest to evade life challenges rather than fighting back. This further results in an abyssal fall of no return. There are so many things that could have a positive rather than adverse long term effect in dealing with the occurrence of unforeseen complications in the journey called life. A powerful tool acknowledged by some and underestimated by most is “Music” which could really come in handy in such situations as well as have numerous positive effects. Do you know you can feel a level of high from listening to music?..sounds crazy right?.... I never imagined at the slightest of thought that such was possible until it was experienced. This resulted in some personal digging which gave me a broader grasp of what just listening to music could do and the crucial reasons why you should “swap narcotics for music”.
Here are 5 key reasons why you should embrace music and include it in your daily activities/routine;
Exchanges pain for happiness: A major effect of music is its ability to impact happiness and an uplifted spirit, according to a paper in the latest UK based journal of advanced nursing, listening to music can reduce chronic painful conditions including osteoarthritis, disc problems and rheumatoid arthritis by up to 21% and depression by up to 25%. Another research from Durham university in the UK as well discovered that even listening to sad music brings most listeners pleasure and comfort. Having a bad mood?.. I guess you might just need to jam your favourite genre or song and experience the magic.
Enhances your intelligence and IQ: Most people might not be aware of this, but have you come across individuals that can only assimilate what they reading or work effectively when they listen to music, did you know Ben Carson was a great fan of classical music and listened to it whenever he carried out a surgery? Music is known to improve the learning ability of children, according to a study done by the music educators national conference 2001, high school students who were actively involved in music through their school or some other facility scored much higher in maths and verbal scores than their non-musical peers.
Improves productivity and creativity: Music is also known to improve productivity and creativity, according to a report in a journal of Neuroscience of behaviour and psychology, a person’s ability to recognize visual images including letters and numbers is faster when either rock or classical music is playing in the background. It all depends on you identifying the type of music you like and that works for you, while I was typing this post as well, was jamming to my rap music as that's one the major ways i get my creativity on.
Reduces stress and aids rest (sleep): After a long stressful day, listening to music could do a lot of good as it decreases levels of cortisol hormone in your body thereby countering the effect of stress. According to a study, it was discovered that listening to classical music at the time of going to bed significantly improves sleep. We all are aware of the fact that stress contributes enormously to illness and diseases so including music in our daily routine could contribute greatly to our overall well-being far more than anticipated.
Its an energy booster: Listening to upbeat music can give you the required energy boost even when fatigued. It can effectively eliminate exercise induced fatigue (that’s why the music never goes off in the gym) and fatigue symptoms caused by monotonous work.
Explore, try something new, take a break from drugs and alcohol, employ the art of music and experience the magic :)
Images:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-with-headphones-listening-music-6399/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-white-music-headphones-life-3104/
Sources:
www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-listening-to-music-lifts-or-reinforces-mood-051713
www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml
https://blog.bufferapp.com/music-and-the-brain
www.liveforlivemusic.com/features/10-positive-benefits-of-listening-to-music-according-to-science/