How can Playing a Musical Instrument Benefit our Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health?
Music can be a powerful creative outlet that allows us to process, express and regulate our emotions.
Life can be awesome. It can also become awfully difficult at times too. This is why we believe that some of the most important things in life aren’t urgent — like making time to learn and play music, because it can really boost our emotional wellbeing.
Here are some ways playing music can help us regulate our emotions:
1) Emotional Expression
Playing music can help you express your emotions and channel your feelings into a creative activity. When we prioritse time to sit down and play a musical instrument, it can help reduce negative emotions like stress, anxiety and even alleviate symptoms of depression whilst promoting more positive, uplifting emotions like joy, connectedness and relaxation.
2) Mindfulness
Playing music requires concentration and focus, which can promote mindfulness and present-moment awareness. The source of our stressors often come from ruminating about the past (which may sometimes trigger heavy emotions like guilt, regret or shame). Sometimes our stressors stem from overthinking about the future — becoming buried in hypothetical situations and scenarios that may or may not happen yet, but play on our mind on repeat regardless.
When we stop and play the guitar, piano, drums, or sing — it can bring us back to the present moment and allow us to focus on our senses. Like the sounds our instrument produces and how it feels for us to hold, or play the tunes. This can help us become more aware of our feelings in the present moment and better regulate our emotions.
3) Neurochemical Effects
Playing music can trigger the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and oxytocin.
Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that is linked with our pleasure and reward system. Oxytocin is another crucial neurotransmitter that is linked with our bonding, sense of connectedness and social interaction.
Having a healthy functional balance of these neurochemical effects can improve our mood and promote a sense of well-being.
4) Belonging
Playing music with others can provide a sense of social support and connectedness, which can help buffer against negative emotions and promote our sense of self-esteem, and belonging. This can be particularly beneficial for people who are lonely, or feeling isolated.
They say that music is a universal language, and they say this for a reason. You can travel the world and connect with complete strangers over a piece of music — whether recorded or live. It’s truly a wonderful feeling to connect instantly over a phenomenon that words can’t explain.
5) Self-Efficacy
Learning and mastering a musical instrument can provide a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to our belief in our own ability to succeed in a particular task or situation. A.K.A. Our perception of our own competence and ability to achieve their goals.
When we learn music, it can allow us to build our self-efficacy which and it can influence our motivation, behavior, and emotional well-being in our overall lives and build our confidence. Strong self-efficacy can help us better cope with stress and other negative emotions.
Overall, playing music can be a powerful tool for emotional regulation as it equips us a variety of tools to managing emotions which can promote our well-being. Playing music can also improve our mood, boost our endorphins and help us relax. It’s a different kind of therapy that is accessible to anyone, right at your fingertips.
Have you been thinking about learning music?
We hold singing, piano and guitar lessons for adults and kids at our music studio in Maroubra. We’d love to hear more about you and connect you with the best teacher who can help you thrive in your confidence and learn to love music.
