Take a Musical Journey

It’s funny that way. You sit at your computer and you look through old photos and if you do it in silence they bring back memories but they are just photos. However, if you play music while you are looking at them suddenly the memories begin to shine, Some songs remind you of things in the past, some are happy and some are sad but those photos begin ti take on a life of their own. Suddenly you are taking a musical journey and really enjoying your time spent looking at old photos. If you are writers, old photos can provide you with so many memorable stories so keep on looking at those images, keep jotting, notes, and most of all keep listening to your favorite music.

It is known that music has beneficial ways that can engage and change the brain as well as alter our moods and emotions.

Emotion

Research has discovered that music can stimulate our emotions through specific circuits in our brains. You listen to a certain song it brings you memories, then it makes you smile, and it might even make you want to get up and dance. If your mood was bleak it suddenly is on the upswing and you are feeling fine.

One way music can affect your mood is by producing various beneficial molecules. Peak emotions can be created which increase the amount of dopamine, a specific neurotransmitter produced by the brain controlling the reward and pleasure centers. Often it is a misconception that emotions come to us through our hearts because so much is stored in our hearts like love, However, a great deal of emotional stimulus comes through the brain.

We look at photos of loved ones and we feel an ache in our hearts since we miss them so much but then the emotional stimulus kicks into the brain and suddenly we become overwhelmed with either happy or sad emotions and as the music plays we are transported back through the years and we can remember the times we shared with our loved ones and it becomes a treasured musical journey to the past.

Memory

Our favorite songs can help bring back memories from the past through the lyrics we hear. How many times have we not heard certain familiar lyrics and suddenly we remember where we were when we first heard the song or what we were doing and who we were with when the song was playing or even when the last time was that we heard this song. Suddenly the emotion switch is triggered and we just flow along with the emotions. No matter what memories come back it is always nice to be able to remember and to be comforted that we had these special moments and that we shared them with the ones we loved.

Music also dominates our lives in the present in the everyday things we do as the music plays. Everyone had their own special kind of music they enjoy listening to but the emotions triggered come from the brain just the same for everyone. Some of you might remember the popularity of music boxes which could be wound up to play a certain melody or song. There were no words just the melody and since it was the time way before we had the Internet to find just the music we wanted this was a special way to bring back certain memories.

My mom loved Lara’s Theme from the movie ‘Dr. Zhivago” and I found a music box just for her with this melody. It made her happy to hear it and whenever she did the housework to make it seem like a game she wound up the music box and let it play. I am sure as she did her chores she was no longer really in the room but in her mind wherever this lovely melody took her.

Classical Music

Studies done have shown that classical compositions by great composers like Beethoven, Bach, and Bizet had had a strong positive impact on motivation. While listening to the music as it flows the tasks to be done seem much easier to handle and even studying for an exam no longer seems to be a chore while listening to classical music.

Rock Music

The good news for rock and roll fans is that rock music has a positive impact and that listeners can improve their general well-being and have better anger management. Rock music has many different forms and I think that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Rock music lyrics can greatly impact various emotions and as long as we get it all out we can feel much better about ourselves. Besides this is the music that can take you on a musical journey to certain places in the past and remind you of loved ones who have taken those journeys with you.

Dance Music

I agree that music specifically for dance can bring elevated emotions and elevate our moods and make us want to dance perhaps to even soar and feel like we are flying. However, it entirely depends on what we want to accomplish by uplifting our moods and emotions. If we specifically want to be able to free up and to dance then dance music is what we should listen to. However, we can even feel like dancing to rock music without choosing specific dance tracks. Dance music can also be used to exercise and to unleash bound up and stressful feelings while rock music can uplift us with a combination of the music, the beat, and the lyrics to get our feet moving.

I can tell you that no matter what your choice of music is you will never feel alone or lost if you just crank up your favorite tunes. Do it while you take journeys to the past, do it to remember those who have gone away, do it to uplift your mood, do it to make you smile, do it to reach a euphoric level and get up and dance.