The Hidden Power Of Music

Can you believe it? It's a senior year already! 

It's insane how quickly time passes - it felt like only yesterday when I was first stepping foot into my new high school. I'm grateful for making it this far - junior year was a wild ride, especially with the SAT, a shit ton of clubs, too many classes, and a nonexistent sleep schedule. 

Thank god this year's so much better. No more worrying about the SAT. As for the rest, I guess I can't say the same. Okay, so this year might not be that different from last year, but nonetheless. See, I thought senior year would be all "fun and games and no stress." No one told me I would have to wait until spring for all of the good stuff to happen. Instead, here I am, building up my anxiety over something else instead; namely, college applications. 

See, it's funny. Since the beginning of freshman year, I'd been longing to get out of my drab little world and into college, where I would be able to experience independence and get a sense of freedom and stuff. That's why I was so hyped to do my college applications - the whole thing seemed like a dream. Hilarious, considering the position I'm in right now. 

I was brought to the condescending truth when I applied for a crap ton of summer programs last year. I'm talking TASC, Journalism Programs, Humanities Camps, you name it, I've probably applied. It's crazy how much overconfidence I had back then - as I was writing my essays, I dreamt about how I would sort out which program I would accept after they all begged me to join their program. The audacity, I know! All those dreams crashed around me around April, when I started receiving rejection emails one by one, my future plans falling around me like birds being shotgunned to the ground. In the end, I didn't make it into any of the programs I'd applied to - granted, some were shot down because of COVID, but a lot still had online opportunities that I just wasn't good enough for. I'll admit, it was a huge blow for me, as the truth of my abilities, had been finally revealed to me. It's fair to say I became a lot more modest after that little affair and began thinking more realistically. Still, there's no denying the pain I felt during those last couple of months. 

Anyways, that's over, and I've made a full recovery. Or at least, I'm trying to believe that, but I know it's a lot more complicated than that. I know this because every time I think about college applications, my stomach lurches. The college applications are basically structured just like the summer programs I'd applied for, so now I have this sense of looming failure every time I try to open up the common application. It's not a fun feeling of course, and maybe that's why I'm avoiding it in the first place, but I know I'll have to get to it sooner or later. 

Why did I mention this? Because I find this a big stressor in my life, and I'm sure everyone knows what it feels like to be stressed out. Stress is "healthy," they say, and sure it is - in the right doses. Stress is good for you when it helps you maintain productivity and gets your tasks done on time. It's not good when it gives you impeding anxiety, affects your daily thoughts, and has a toll on your health. Everyone wants stress to leave their lives, but of course, that's a lot easier said than done. In my opinion, stress can never be completely eradicated with a snap of a finger. No, I think problems will always pile up during your life, and after you solve them the next challenges walk around the corner. The trick is to focus on how you maintain yourself during that time. 

Everyone has a different way of handling their stress. Some people stress-eat, while others might watch hours of television. We're all looking for different distractions from our problems, but unfortunately, a lot of them can be really unhealthy. Why else do we have people with tobacco, alcohol, and drug problems? A lot of them are trying to run away from the other problems they have to deal with life by avoiding them altogether. This only leads to a cycle, though - a cycle of addiction and pain that can be hard to break out of. Of course, that doesn't mean it's impossible to handle stress. Rather, there are other ways to do it, such as through art, writing, dance, or even going out for a run. But for today, I'm going to focus on one distraction particularly; music. 

I cannot express the amount of love I have for music, and I'm sure a lot of people can relate to what I mean by this. Heck, I'm listening to music right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were doing the same as you read this. To me, music is like an old friend, someone who's ready to wrap its arms around me and hold me tightly. I feel like music has been there for me for my happiest times, as well as my darkest. Sometimes the lyrics were meaningless to my life but still helped me paint an entire story inside of my head. Other times, the lyrics have hit me straight in the heart and left me with chills. Some songs I've listened to don't even have lyrics, but its beauty is enough to move me. 

I don't think anyone has to have a music "type" to enjoy what they're listening to. If you took a look at my Spotify playlist, you could see a jumble of different songs, from the Frank Sinatra hits of the 50s to soothing lofi music. I have rap music, pop music, indie music, rock music, everything - the genre doesn't matter to me, it's how it makes me feel. I think that's what's most important when you listen to music - either you can have it humming in the background, or you could take a moment to really appreciate the artist's verbatim. 

Words couldn't express how much respect I have for those who make music. It doesn't matter which kind, whether it's instrumental or writing random lyrics. It must be hard to write out lyrics so powerful unless they've felt the same kind of emotions as the songs they write about. I feel like little do they know the impact they can have on people's lives without realizing it. Songs are one of the only things that distracted me from my problems and kept me feeling joyous, even during the worst of times. It's listened to my irrational thoughts and replied with soothing words to comfort me. 

Am I getting a little drab now? I guess I can't help it, since every moment where I was the most emotionally wrecked was witnessed by the headphones plugged into my ears. You know why else music is awesome? When school was still in session (before all of this online learning bullshit), I would always have my headphones plugged in as I moved through my classes and sat on the bus. And let me tell you, it's the most invigorating feeling in the world when you have headphones plugged in with great music blasting into your ears. I'm telling you, it's like being in a music video, in which you're the main character. And as an additional bonus, you feel super badass as you walk down the hallways with headphones in, like no one could ruin your vibes. If you haven't tried it before, I'd definitely recommend you do it - you won't regret it. It feels like you're on top of the world, no matter who you may be. 10/10. 

Just make sure you don't get too addicted to music - and yes, I know it sounds crazy, but this is possible. This means listening to music 24/7 without end. Am I attacking some of you guys now? There's a reason I'm saying this though. If you listen to music all the same - especially if it's the same fifty songs on repeat - then you're going to wear it out and then one day, you're gonna realize how sick you are of listening to the same song over and over again. This is why it's sometimes important to put down the headphones and appreciate the silence around you, too. If you can't do that, it's okay - I get it. Sometimes silence isn't possible, whether it might be because of external sounds or the thoughts that flood your head. If that's the case, then I say do something else - change the songs you listen to. 

Scary, I know. Changing songs suddenly is like stepping out of your comfort zone - you have no idea what to expect, and whether or not you'll like what you hear. It's so much easier to fall back into the rhythmic beats that you love, instead of facing something new. But you'd be surprised by how rewarding this actually is. I can't tell you how many times the songs that I initially judged as being bad quickly became one of my top five. As boring as it may feel as first, try changing up your songs. If you don't like what you're hearing, the worst thing that could happen is you lose some time. Better yet, listen to music created by one artist that you really like - chances are, they probably have more golden hits hidden away. The bottom line is, don't be afraid to experiment around. There's no such thing as liking "one kind of music," because there are hundreds of amazing and talented artists out there who's music is waiting to be listened to - by you. 

Take that leap, and don't look back. Appreciate what you hear, and embrace every moment. Music is the one thing that isn't about to leave your life so easily. Play that song on your own instrument, sing to it in the shower, dance to it in the comforts of your own room, or simply smile as you listen. Music is one thing created by humans that truly reminds you about the beauty of humanity. It'll forever amaze me that music could have easily started when someone simply realized they could make unique songs through a couple reeds. (Hey, but that's just a theory - a music theory.) Every beat has a meaning, every note has a reason for being there. Love it, cherish it, and enjoy it. Because you deserve that moment, and you deserve to feel the emotion that you feel as you listen. 

But hey, that's just my take on what music is. It probably means different things to different people, but nonetheless, I think we can agree that it's a very powerful tool. Oh god, I feel kind of bad now because if there's anyone with hearing loss reading this - just know that I'm sorry that you have to miss out on this. I had to put that disclaimer out there. 

Thanks again for reading through my rant. If you're someone who uses Spotify, then I'll link one of my favorite playlists down below. It has around 200 songs on it, and the type of music on it varies by so much, so be prepared if you choose to listen. Also, I have a lot of breakup songs on there - quite ironic, I know, considering I've never even experienced a relationship. Still, the meaning of every song sticks with me, and in the end, I think that's what matters the most. 

Without further ado, please enjoy it. Thanks for sticking it with me through the end, and I'll see you for the next post ;)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4WYpdgoIcn6

Sayonara, dear reader. 

-Ganga Prasanth