Inspirational Songs For Depression (9 Great Songs)

Today’s blog post focuses on ‘Inspirational Songs For Depression’.we begin with a brief discussion on music and depression which is then followed by understanding the concept of music therapy where we discuss the benefits of music therapy along with its effect on depression. Lastly, we take into account some inspirational songs for depression in detail.

Inspirational Songs For Depression:

It is scientifically proven that music helps in reducing depressive symptoms along with symptoms of other mental health issues such as anxiety and stress. Inspirational songs can help in lifting the person’s mood especially if they are sad, experiencing crying spells, irritable, angry or just feel like they do not have motivation to get out of their bed.

Here is a list of nine inspirational songs for depression:

Fight Song by Rachel Platten
Worn by Tenth Avenue North
Praying by Kesha
I Won’t Give Up by Jason Marz
Vienna by Billy Joel
Shake It Out by Florence +The Machine
Warrior by Demi Lovato
The Lonely by Christina Perry
Better Man by Robbie Williams

Music and depression:

Music, which can be in any form such as songs, instrumental music or natural music has long been known to help individuals deal with their depressive symptoms. One of the reasons for music to be so effective with depression is that music has an intricate association with emotions. So, when a person is feeling low and sad or even angry and irritated, music can help uplift their mood.

Understanding the various ways in which music affects us has helped researchers and mental health professional design interventions to deal with issues without pharmaceutical medication.

It has been seen that when depressed, people usually prefer listening to sad music. Even though it may seem that sad music is not ideal for depression, most people turn to sad music when depressed as they find sad music uplifting.

However, any kind of music can have an impact on the person’s mind and can help them experience a wide variety of emotions.

An important aspect of the relationship between music and depression is the use of music therapy.

What is music therapy?

Music therapy involves using a person’s responsiveness and connectedness to music to encourage positive changes in mood and overall well-being. It can involve creating music with instruments, dancing to music and even listening to it.

Music therapy is often used as an alternative form of therapy, in conjunction with the traditional therapeutic approaches and it helps improve confidence, communication skills, independence, self-awareness, awareness of others, concentration as well as attention skills.

Music therapy works in a very complex manner. Each element of music affects different parts of the brain, in the sense, rhythm is processed by cerebellum, the emotional signals created by music are processed by the frontal lobes and pitch of the music is processed by a small portion of the temporal lobe. Additionally, the nucleus accumbens, the reward centre of the brain also creates feelings of pleasure when responding to music.

There are some benefits of music therapy:

It is a non-verbal form of therapy, because of which it can be used even for those who have language barriers and other communication difficulties.
It can be used for people who may not be able to get out of their beds and houses because of their mental health conditions. It is easy for the therapist to bring the therapy to the client even if the client cannot go to the therapist.
The skills learnt in music therapy can be easily applied in real life situations. Music can then be used as a coping mechanism for several mental health concerns on a regular basis.
Learning and practicing music can help improve memory skills, reading, coordination and math skills as well.
Music therapy works well in improving a person’s mood and self-esteem, especially during depression.
Music therapy can also be used as a form of self-expression especially when it comes to expressing strong and overwhelming emotions.

Music therapy also has been extremely beneficial in depression.

Studies have suggested that music therapy can improve certain certain symptoms of depression such as sleep disturbances, irritability, low self-efficacy, sadness, loss of self-esteem, rumination and worrying.

Music therapy can help people experiencing insomnia sleep better.
Inspirational songs can be used to boost a person’s self-efficacy and self-esteem to motivate the person.
It can also help the person through sadness and create a calming effect when he or she experiences irritability.
Additionally, instrumental music can also serve as a mindfulness building tool to help the person stop rumination and worrying, so that they can stay focused in the present moment.

Studies have shown that the clients who used music therapy along with standard therapy showed strong improvements in their symptoms, when compared with those who took up only regular therapy.

Regular use of music therapy also helps release dopamine in the brain, which is associated with making people feel good. Release of dopamine improves mood and relieves pain.

Inspirational songs for depression which can be beneficial:

Here is a list of a few inspirational songs for depression that can help a person uplift their mood and feel better on sad days.

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

Fight Song is one of the inspirational songs for depression as it has helped people deal with both depression as well as anxiety. The song emphasises on the struggles with both depression and anxiety and focuses on the importance of the strength of the mind which is extremely important when it comes to counter arguing your own thoughts.

The song also resonates with the listeners as it was written by the song writer, when she herself was struggling with her mental health.

Worn by Tenth Avenue North

This is another song that represents people’s struggle with depression. The song focuses on the emotional draining that comes with life and motivates people to focus on the needs of others to overcome the draining feeling. The song is relatable to a large number of audience as it instills hope and a sense of redemption of their lives by helping others.

Praying by Kesha

One of such inspirational songs for depression is Praying, which is based around the themes of freedom, hope and regaining one’s power. The song talks about gaining triumph over adversity and relates to people’s emotions and struggles. This song can help people deal with their day to day struggles successfully.

I Won’t Give Up by Jason Marz

The song inspires people to keep going with their lives and not give up, even in the most difficult situations. This song has helped people overcome their suicidal thoughts and has motivated them through their struggle with depression. The song explains that even though life may have several terrible chapters, one must keep going ahead and this is what makes this song one of the inspirational songs for depression.

Vienna by Billy Joel

Another one of the inspirational songs for depression is Vienna. The song has helped people through their bad times, has helped them cry, breathe, calm themselves down and feel better. The song also instills a sense of acceptance of the self and the present moment and telling the listener that their time will come when it has to come.

Shake It Out by Florence +The Machine

This song can work well in dealing with rumination and worrying as it helps the listener understand that one should shake off the worries that were created about the past and the future. It warns the listener from delving too much into the self in the effort to find happiness within as it would only bring out the evil in the person. It motivates the person to move ahead when they are held down by their own mind.

Warrior by Demi Lovato

Another song that makes it to the list of inspirational songs for depression is Warrior. The song talks about pain and hardships and being bogged down by life, which was an experience that the songwriter herself experienced. The song talks about finding strength and seeing the self as a warrior. It also suggests that the struggles faced yesterday have made the person strong and will make them stronger in future.

The Lonely by Christina Perry

The song emphasises on how the person is feeling rather than simply instilling hope. The song also makes a person think as to whether the feelings that are being experienced are so strong and overwhelming that they are enough to take over the person’s identity. It helps the listener understand that they are more than their feelings.

Better Man by Robbie Williams

The song keeps reminding the listener that they are healing and feeling their emotions. It makes them hopeful that they will overcome the pain and grow through it. It also makes them understand that they are doing everything they can to deal with their situation and even if they feel unloved, love is all around them.

Frequently Asked Questions:Inspirational Songs For Depression

Does singing help with depression?

In terms of mental health, research shows that singing can help decrease symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression.

Why do I listen to sad music when I am sad?

People with depression listen to sad music because it makes them feel better, as reported by a small study which helped in understanding why people turn to sad songs when they’re already down.

Why is music so powerful?

Music can represent different feelings and has no boundaries or limitations. People always feel that “no one understands them” or know how they “really feel”, so they turn to music. Music also has the capacity to imitate emotions.

Why is music so emotionally powerful?

Music has the ability to evoke powerful emotional responses.Positive emotions dominate musical experiences. Pleasurable music may lead to the release of neurotransmitters associated with reward, such as dopamine. Listening to music is an easy way to alter mood and also serves as a stressbuster.

Does music affect behavior?

Studies have shown that when people listen to music, their emotions fluctuate, and that can lead to a change in their behavior. Studies have shown that different languages, tempos, tones, and sound levels of music can cause different effects on emotions, mental activities, and physical reactions.

Conclusion:

Today’s blog post focused on ‘Inspirational Songs For Depression’.We began with a brief discussion on music and depression which was then followed by understanding the concept of music therapy where we discussed the benefits of music therapy along with its effect on depression. Lastly, we took into account some inspirational songs for depression in detail.

I hope the blog post was successful in helping the readers understand the benefits of music for depression in the form of music therapy along with a list of nine inspirational songs for depression. Please feel free to drop in your comments and queries below.