Blog #5: CATW Practice - "Is Music a Good Tool for Health?

      In the article "Is Music a Good Tool for Health? Elizabeth Scott states that music is used in therapies to heal because it has a positive effect on the body and mind. Scott also states that music has lasting benefits to the state of mind even after you stopped listening. I believe music has a positive effect on out body and mind because it gives relaxation and motivation and it also helps us to keep stress  and other negative emotions away.

       Music somehow relaxes your body and disconnects your mind from the rest of the world giving you motivation to do other things or to learn more. For example, children with autism use music therapy to learn to play an instrument. They concentrate so much on what they do that they develop advanced music techniques. Music relaxes them so much that they are motivated to learn more and the effect is positive because it also motivates their learning. I personally listen to music when I want to relax because I forget about everything else around me and then I take a moment to go back to my reality and keep going, so somehow it relaxes me and even after I stop listening I feel relaxed and in good mood.

       Music is also a great tool to use to keep stress away from us as well as other negative emotions. I have learned that people with depression are encouraged to do new things and start activities that may be positive and may bring you to a better self. Music is one of the things that many people with depression try and they succeed. They start either in a dance group or simply play an instrument, but most of the time the effect is positive healing them from depression and keeping them anxiety and stress free. I also use music to distract myself when doing exercise. When I feel stressed and overwhelmed I take a walk and listen to music and it makes me feel better afterwards. I do not feel the same if I walk to exercise or to just distract myself without music. Even after the walk I feel a lot better with music.

       I think that music has a positive effect on our bodies and minds whether  it is in a long or short therm. It doesn't matter if we are depressed or just stressed or if someone we know has a child with autism, music will help us positively  regardless of our condition.