Listening to music triggers a wide variety of brain stimuli that directly influence our lives. Music influences our mood, our relationships and the way we face certain occasions. In short, it improves our quality of life.
It is clear that it is an activity that benefits us, but you know exactly What benefits does music bring you?
Mireia Serra, doctor in psychology and music therapisttells us what those benefits are and how to start using music therapeutically for yourself:
1. Physical benefits
- Facilitates become aware of the bodyon the other, to occupy their space.
- reinforces balancecoordination of muscle groups, motor skills, extension, agility and resistance.
- Can activate, sedate, regulate respiratory rateheart rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure.
- Facilitates a greater comfort and well-being.
- affects the endocrine function and to metabolism.
2. Emotional benefits
- Awakens, evokes and enables communication and the expression of emotions and feelings.
- Allows personal projectionmotivate personal growth, self-perception (self-concept, love and acceptance of oneself, empowerment, self-esteem) and empathy.
- Provide resources to control the perception of anxiety and depression.
- open at ability to enjoyto allow it.
3. Social benefits
- Promotes socializationgroup cohesion, sense of belonging.
- Promotes interaction between participantsinclusion and openness to the community.
- Invite to dialogue and communication.
4. Cognitive benefits
- guide in reality (temporal, spatial, personal).
- Activate the capacity of attention.
- Facilitates learning of concepts and perception of verbal, musical aspects, etc.
- reinforces the communicative intentionality (vocal, verbal, symbolic).
- Stimulates memory.
- give orderstructure.
- invites analysis take decisionsfind solutions, solve problems.
- stimulates the imaginationthe creativity.
5. Spiritual benefits
- Creates enveloping environmentsThat accompany.
- evokes experiences religious/spiritual.
- makes it easy to meditatetranscend suffering, find peace in our life.
- It opens possibilities of talk about end of lifeto accompany him and to facilitate the mourning of the relatives.
Put music in your day to day
There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of music in your day to day. Here are some tips from music therapist and doctor in psychology Mireia Serra:
- How do you feel? Relate activities of your daily life in which music is present. In what way is it part of you, how do you live it?
- Your music story. Write down your relationship with music: if you play (or have played) an instrument, your preferences, moments associated with it…
- Basic emotions. Love, fear, joy, sadness… Do you feel any? Find a song or poem that describes this emotion and allow yourself to experience it.
- nourishing music. Look for music that brings you calm and peace. You can breathe, listen and feel it, or capture what you feel on a sheet.
- A vital song. Pick a song that connects you with the happiness of living. Express it creatively. Thanks.
- Your voice. Find a comfortable place, breathe calmly and let the air out making a sound, without forcing. Don’t judge yourself don’t cut your voice. Express your being, your identity.