All of us are guilty of self-medicating through music at some point in life. From listening to Jagjit Singh when we’re sad to grooving to the recent foot-tapping numbers to drive those worries away, we’ve done it all. Building in on this human tendency to resort to music for therapy a new form of wellness music has taken shape. It is trendy, sophisticated and what more, can be custom-made according to our psychological and emotional needs.

Music is a universal language and has been used internationally to nourish and heal. Professional musicians were hired to play music in hospitals during both World Wars to hasten the healing process. Closer home, musical instruments like flute, sitar, sarangi etc have often aided us in achieving peace and calm through meditation. Music has a powerful impact on our physical and mental health and can be utilised to our advantage.

Wellness music is a growing trend and has some amazing far-reaching effects. Using new technologies it delves into the human brain and helps in attaining a positive state of mind.

Wellness Music as a medicine

Music therapy is often used on patients with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc. It doesn’t require any background understanding and can be used to soothe and calm the senses. It works positively even with Autism and Alzheimer’s patients. A research done by The British Academy of Sound Therapy states that by controlling the decibel, tone, duration and beats of music, varied outcomes can be derived.

Say bye to screens

This point cannot be stressed enough! An average person spends more than 6-7 hours on screens everyday. They rule our lives and there’s precious little we can do to eliminate their need and presence. Thankfully, digital detox can help our tired eyes get some respite. While at it, our ears can be treated to some personally curated music which can aid in reduce stress too. Heightened hearing will relax all other senses thus leading to complete tranquility.

Stream for your health

Thanks to streaming platforms like YouTube, Amazon Music, Jio Saavn, etc we can stream any music of our choice. From natural sounds to spa and oriental music, they offer a wide variety of wellness music that works wonders. After a strenuous workout it is just what I need. I’ve recently discovered podcasts on Spotify and love the content that is being shared there as well. Keeping our ears open was never so much fun.

Personalised music for you

Endel is a generative music app that pulls data from your phone like your location, weather etc and your biometric data from your smartwatch. Its algorithm combined with your data helps create a sonic composition that’s perfect for you. Imagine sitting in your balcony looking at the rain and ‘Bheegi bheegi raaton mein..’ plays on your phone on its own accord. Surreal, isn’t it?

Music is fodder for our soul and has the power to influence us in deep ways. Wellness music is a step forward in deriving pleasure as well as healing with it. However, there’s still a lot of untapped potential in it that the music industry is yet to explore. With this shift in making it a personal experience we’re off to a good start though!

This is my seventh post in the #CauseAChatter series and a topic many people can indeed relate with. Don’t forget to drop in a word for me!