Put Music In Your Life

"One good thing about music is that when it comes, you forget about the problems."

Bob Marley

A dear friend once told me that life is like a movie and that we are the artistic directors of that work of art. There are highs and lows, good and less good moments, but we are the ones who choose which colors, what music, what attitude we assume and what mood we put to each scene. He gave me the example of “Life is Beautiful”: in a horrible situation, the main character does everything possible to change the perspective of the circumstances so that his son had a different experience.

Well, music is an essential tool to change the scenes of our life as we want. As artistic directors, we are the ones who decide the soundtrack of our film. And in a soundtrack not all music is the same: there are harmonies to raise energy and mood, others to relax, others related to love or to sadness…. So we can choose the music, the sounds, the songs that are most in tune with how we want to feel in each moment and situation.

Music evokes strong emotions and influences the mood. Functional neuroimaging studies have shown changes in brain activity in response to music. In general, it influences areas of the brain that regulate emotions, memory, attention, language, our body expression, personality and behavior, how we sleep, and more. Additionally, through nervous pathways, the endocrine system and the immune system, these centers have effects on all the structures of the body.

The exact origin of music is not known, but in every known culture there has been some form of musical manifestation. The Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" ( John 1: 1 ). Somehow, sound has always been.

If we refer to the relationship between music and health, it is close and has been known since ancient times. It has been and is a tool for healers of all cultures. Ancient writings describe how relief and serenity were obtained through sounds. Pythagoras was said to impact people's souls with specific harmonies, which the Greek physician Asclepiades used for mental illness and depression. In Arab medicine, musicians were part of the medical team, and their melodies were "charming, pleasant, sweet and soft." Its positive effects were also described for anxiety, epilepsy, pain from gout attacks, and in general to recover from multiple diseases. Even episodes of healing were mentioned. Music reaches our body, mind and soul. Every molecule, cell, tissue and organ of our body has its own resonance, its own vibration. Through music we can get in tune with it and harmonize it. It literally reaches our guts.

Everything we do for our health and well-being ADDS UP: music is free and available today more than ever.

Recent studies have shown benefits of music in various fields of medicine. I quote a few:

• It can be used to relieve pain. An important reduction in postoperative pain has been demonstrated, the use of lower doses of anesthetics needed during interventions, and it can positively influence surgeon’s relaxation and concentration when they do their work.

• It relieves stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and regulates heart rate.

• It helps you sleep better through relaxation.

• It boosts the immune system through neuro-hormonal regulation.

• By stimulating certain areas of the brain, it produces pleasure and happiness.

• It promotes the wellbeing of people with Alzheimer's and their connection with others.
  

René Descartes said that there is music that can stimulate some people and make them dance, but the same music can make others cry. The effects can be completely different from person to person. So if you want to use it as a tool for wellbeing, it is worth having your own soundtrack. The best music for you is the one you like the most and the one that is most effective for you. Today we have multiple applications and web pages available to create our own playlists. The only thing we have to do is to look for the most appropriate melodies for us.

Below you will find some indications of music for different circumstances. There are multiple genres and styles of music, it is infinite. It would be very difficult to cite them all. That's why I tell you: FIND YOUR MUSIC. The benefit it gives is priceless.

Tips:

• Create a playlist of stimulating songs to face each day and each challenge with the best energy.

• Create a playlist of relaxing music, to recharge your batteries, to sleep better, to meditate or pray.
  

Have moments of silence too. Silence helps us reconnect with ourselves.

“Silence is the space that allows freedom; it always brings us to the light and clarity of everything. " Dr. Santiago Rojas

“Silence is very important. The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves. " Mozart

Music for different moments:

Music to increase energy: high rhythms, in which the lyrics of the song are stimulating, and where whoever sings has high tones of voice.

Music to relax and meditate : mantras, sounds of nature, Gregorian chants, binaural music, music in the 432Hz frequency, music in the 528Hz frequency, music to align the chakras ...

Music to sleep : lullaby music, sounds of nature, music between 60 and 80 beats per minute, various types of classical music ...

Music to study : Mozart, melodies of classical music, binaural music ...

Music to strengthen the immune system : Mozart, Brahms, Strauss ...

About Mozart : stimulates memory, creativity, increases productivity, lowers blood pressure, it is positive for depression ...

For people with Alzheimer's : music that the person likes, that evokes happy moments in their life, that they can share with others, with which they can sing or dance together (without overstimulating).

Put music in your life!

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"And those who were seen dancing were considered crazy by those who could not hear the music."

Friedrich Nietzsche