Lately, I’ve found music to be extremely helpful for bringing up emotions for me to work through. It can be difficult for me to get in touch with certain emotions or fully feel them when I’m overwhelmed. Emotionally moving songs make it much easier to connect with and feel through whatever comes up. While I can do this with songs that are new to me, I’ve found it most powerful with songs that I’ve known for many years. For example, “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” helps me deal with having both a savior/god complex and impostor syndrome. The version of “Oo De Lally” in this commercial and “Bridge over Troubled Water” are my go-to songs whenever I need a good cry; “We’ve Got Tonite” works well for relationship blues and the tears they often bring.
This isn’t limited purely to painful feelings, however. “Here Comes the Sun” is great at reminding me of the things I love in life and gets me to focus on such emotions as joy, happiness, peace, and love. “The Boxer” makes me think of what I’ve overcome and restores my determination when it’s running low. And “Rainbow Connection” is the closest thing I have to a life song; ever since I first heard it, it resonated with me like no other song before or since. Each of those songs can lift my spirits, remind me of my mission, and make me grateful to be me.
Those are just some of the songs that work well for my emotional work. Music has always been important to me but it was only recently that I started using it to work through emotions in this way. Before, I used it to escape from or wallow in my unwanted feelings and reminisce about past events or dream about possible futures. Although that could be cathartic at times, such catharsis was limited only to the times in which I was listening to the music. I didn’t carry what I’d learned with me once I resumed my regular life. That has been one of the lessons I’ve learned this year and I’m sure it will stick with me going forward. What are some songs that help you work through your emotions? I’d love to hear about them and try them out for myself.