The Playlist Prescription: Music’s Role in Mental Wellness

Let’s face it—life gets overwhelming. Between stress, anxiety, and the everyday mental load, finding ways to take care of our mental health is more essential than ever. While therapy and medication are powerful tools (and often necessary ones), there’s another healing method that’s free, accessible, and incredibly effective: music.

Music and Mental Health: More Than Background Noise

Music isn’t just something to fill the silence—it’s a powerful tool for mental wellness. It stirs emotions, brings back memories, and gives us a language when words fall short. Whether you’re vibing to a chill classical piece, belting out a pop anthem, or finding solace in a raw, emotional ballad, music can meet you exactly where you are.

The right song at the right time doesn’t just change your mood—it can hold you in a moment. It offers a safe space to feel your feelings, release emotional tension, and begin to regulate your nervous system.

Music Changes Your Brain (In a Good Way)

From a science perspective, music therapy for anxiety and depression has growing support. Listening to music boosts neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins—all the chemicals that help us feel more at ease, hopeful, and energized. Research shows that music can help:

• Ease symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Reduce chronic pain
• Improve sleep quality
• Enhance emotional expression and self-regulation

So, yes—your playlist can be your prescription.

Using Music to Reconnect With Your Body

One of the most powerful aspects of music, for me personally, is how it brings me back into my body. As women, we’re bombarded with confusing messages about how our bodies should look, feel, move, and be experienced. That disconnection can show up emotionally, physically, and even spiritually.

Music helps bridge that gap.

There have been so many moments where I logically felt confident, but emotionally felt small. Playing the right track—something bold, sexy, or empowering—helps me embody the confidence that’s been trapped in my head. Music invites me to move, to feel, to reclaim sensuality and presence.

🎧 Explore my therapeutic playlist: Momentum Mindset Audio Therapy: Sexual Confidence Listen

Written by Lindsey Thomson, Registered Psychotherapist & Creatrix. Check out more of Lindsey's writing and her other free resources at www.mymomentummind.com