Medicinal Melodies

If you were to ask me if I would rather lose my sense of sight or my sense of hearing, I would choose going blind without a second thought. Being unable to enjoy music would leave me devastated. Music is the one reliable comfort I've had throughout my life. Without it, there is no doubt my mental health would suffer. The infinite silence would most likely drive me insane, and I would be left unable to cope with the dynamics of my emotions.

According to my Spotify Wrapped, I listened to over 51,000 minutes of music in 2024. That's more than one whole month of music, including over 1,500 different artists and countless genres, from alternative to instrumental to '80s rock to synthwave. Some songs were set to repeat on continuous loops, others made appearances on shuffled playlists.

Music was clearly a huge part of my life during the past year, as it's always been for more than twenty years. This year was filled with exciting new discoveries, as well as so many older favorites. I often think of music as a drug (which I've mentioned in a couple of my other stories) since it has the potential to act as a medicine for the soul, taken in a variety of doses at different points in our lives depending on our emotional state.

The following 24 songs are the ones that stood out in 2024 (according to me and Spotify). They've helped me through times of frustration, sadness, happiness, and everything else in between. These songs, and dozens of others, have helped me process both the good times and the bad times, the easy times and the difficult times. In a way, I've created my own prescription list of medicinal melodies.

The Serotonin Stimulators

To spark creativity and motivation.

Serotonin, along with dopamine and oxytocin, is associated with creativity and a positive mood. For me, the past year has been fraught with frustrating flares of writer's block and a lack of inspiration; however, music has continued to ignite small ideas for me, whether it be a short story or a spur-of-the-moment poem.

The Music Video Writing Prompts created by sleepy drafts early in the year was the perfect demonstration of how music can influence writing. Hozier's amazing storytelling through his lyrics in the song "Dinner & Diatribes" inspired a short story that came to life after I watched the music video for the first time.

Like Hozier's song, "In This Shirt" by The Irrepressibles and "Make Me a Bird" by Elektrik People have sparked spontaneous poems for Vocal challenges.

This list could be endless, but here are a couple of more songs that have aided in improving my motivation when I felt my creativity was inadequate and my brain was incapable of producing anything of literary value. ODESZA, LAAKE, and many other techno/electronic groups have great music for boosting productivity. Throughout the year, I continually replayed several playlists including techno/electronic/lo-fi music to keep the creative juices flowing.

The Adrenaline Pumpers

To get pumped.

Music can be a resuscitator, a shock of adrenaline to get the heart (and the mind) going. For some reason, I found "When I R.I.P" by Labrinth to be the shot I needed to summon the energy to get tasks done around the house and prevent myself from melding with the cushions on the couch. I became obsessed with Labrinth's powerful music after watching Euphoria. In another odd way, Die Antwoord's "Pokémon" was also a good song whenever I needed a kickstart. Their upbeat electronic hip-hop can be very catchy and perfect for gym workout sessions.

To process the frustration.

I'm not an angry person, but listening to heavier (and louder) music often helps me deal with frustration and irritability. Faced with multiple sources of frustration this year, songs by COUNTERFEIT and Linkin Park relieved some of the pressure. Linkin Park is an old favorite that will always alleviate the stress associated with feeling alone and vulnerable. I only recently stumbled upon COUNTERFEIT, although they have been around for a while now (Stranger Things fans might recognize the lead singer). The lyrics of COUNTERFEIT's songs are incredibly relatable, touching on several aspects of mental health.

The Dopamine Boosters

To avoid the spiral of bad moods.

Like serotonin, dopamine is involved with overall well-being and happiness. Just the right beat can instantly change dopamine levels. It can make your feet move. It can flip your perspective on the day. It can melt away the worries. All it takes is a simple rhythm. These songs were my go-to "feel good" songs for 2024. If I felt myself sliding into a bad mood, I grabbed my headphones and started with one of these songs.

Both Hozier and Lindsey Stirling were on my list of top artists on Spotify for 2024. It's no surprise since I gravitated to each and every one of their albums multiple times throughout the year. I even got to see Lindsey Stirling perform live (for the second time) in August. Lindsey's skills as a violinist, a dancer, and a performer continue to amaze me. It's been incredible to watch her excel in her career ever since she started on YouTube back in 2007. As for Hozier, I had hoped to make it to one of his shows as well, but it didn't work out. His lyrics are so beautifully written, and I would love to see him perform the next time he tours in the United States.

To remind myself to just be me.

As someone who has always felt out of place, I've had to remind myself that it is perfectly acceptable to just be who I am, without making adjustments for other people. Over the past few years, I've learned that I am responsible for my own happiness, that I am in control of my emotions. I've accepted that some people are not meant to be in my life, as painful as that may be. But it is not a direct reflection of me and my personality. It's been a difficult journey, but I'm slowly moving away from my people-pleasing tendencies and learning to love myself regardless of the opinion of others. Here are a few songs that have helped with my self-acceptance along the way.

The Anesthetizing Tranquilizers

To be numbed.

When I was overwhelmed by grief, I needed to sit in the darkness and allow myself to feel, close my eyes and listen. Letting the strings pull at my insides, extricating the buried emotions deep beneath my skin. Sinking in as the soundwaves cradled the curves of my sadness, carrying me off into a state of suspension.

To be transported.

Nostalgia often accompanied melancholy this year. I drowned myself in the familiar songs that would comfort me during my struggles as a teenager. Anything that would bring me back to a previous time, a time that wasn't the present. Thinking about it now, it's funny how I revert back to the coping mechanisms I developed as an introverted adolescent, shoving my headphones into my ears and blasting my music as a buffer between my thoughts and everything else.

The Placating Placebo

To acknowledge the power of absence.

And sometimes, I just wanted to stare at the ceiling and appreciate the quiet moments. The world is filled with noise and distractions which can quickly become overstimulating for someone who is a little more sensitive than others. Completely burnt out by the fall of 2024, I savored the time I could set aside to decompress by simply sitting on the couch, setting up some calming lights, and enjoying the silence.

"The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them."

-Quote attributed to both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Claude Debussy