Finding Your Rhythm Again: How Music Can Support Your Mental Health

Have you ever put on a song and felt the hairs on your arms rise? Or found yourself crying unexpectedly during a piece of music you hadn’t heard in years? Music reaches parts of us that words often can’t. It helps us access emotions we didn’t know were waiting, soothes what feels jangled inside, and reminds us we’re not alone, even if it’s just for the length of a three-minute track.

As a clinical psychologist, I often talk with clients about the power of music. Not just as entertainment, but as a tool for emotional regulation, memory, connection, and healing. Music has a way of bypassing the thinking part of our brain and connecting directly with the emotional centre. This can be particularly helpful if you're feeling low, anxious, numb, or simply disconnected from yourself.

Why Music Matters for Mental Health

There’s growing research showing that music can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality, lower stress levels, and even regulate heart rate and blood pressure. But beyond the science, most of us intuitively know how powerful music can be.

It can lift us when we feel stuck, hold us when we feel fragile, and energise us when we need motivation. It can validate our feelings, especially when a lyric captures exactly what we haven’t been able to put into words. It can also offer gentle structure to a chaotic day.

Ways to Use Music to Support Your Mental Health

Here are a few practical ways you can begin to use music more intentionally in your day-to-day life:

Create Playlists That Reflect Your Needs

Think about creating different playlists for different moods or times of day. For example:

• A grounding playlist for when you’re feeling anxious.

• A gentle, soothing one for evenings or sleep.

• An uplifting, energising list for getting out of bed or starting the day.

• Spotify, Apple Music, or even old-fashioned YouTube playlists can work beautifully. Take some time to curate them yourself so they feel personal.

I personally have created a playlist for each year where I include new songs that personify how I want that year to go or how I am feeling. I use this as a form of journalling so that I can reflect on the year. It’s also interesting for me to think about how my year has gone based on when I added various songs to the playlist.

Use Music to Process Emotions

If you're feeling overwhelmed or stuck emotionally, try putting on music that mirrors how you're feeling. This can actually help you move through the emotion rather than get stuck in it. Paradoxically, listening to a sad song when you’re feeling low can feel validating and even comforting.

Incorporate Music into Routine Activities

Music can help you build new habits or rituals. A specific morning playlist can gently ease you into the day, while a calming soundtrack can help you wind down before bed. You can also try playing instrumental or nature-infused tracks while journalling or meditating.

My go-to for cleaning the house is dance music. I was an avid raver back in the day (I won’t say how long ago that was as I will give up my secrets). I find that the rhythmic beats of EDM help me stay motivated to do even the mundane tasks like washing dishes.

Explore Music as a Form of Expression

If you’ve ever played an instrument or sung (even just in the shower), consider returning to it. You don’t need to be ‘good’. This is about expression, not performance. Music can help you release tension and connect with creativity, which in itself is deeply healing.

Let Music Be a Bridge to Connection

Share your playlists with a friend, or ask them to send you theirs. It’s a lovely way to feel close to someone and can sometimes open up emotional conversations that might otherwise feel difficult to start.

Final Thoughts

Music won’t solve everything. But it can be a quiet companion when things feel tough. It can offer rhythm when life feels out of sync, and it can remind us, gently, without pressure, of who we are underneath the noise of the world.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, consider giving yourself permission to explore how music might support you. And of course, if you feel you need someone to talk to, therapy can offer a safe space to begin that conversation.

Some of my go-to songs right now:

Unstoppable, Sia

Change It, Touchtalk

Shake It Out, Florence + the Machine

Castles, Freya Ridings

Destiny, Malaika

I Love Music, Lebo Mathosa