Music therapy can be a useful tool for helping teens express themselves and connect with their emotions.
Adolescence is a time when many teens experience a variety of emotions at any given moment. It can be hard for teens to process and cope with these emotions, which can lead to them bottling up these emotions, acting out because of their feelings, and feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Without coping strategies and a healthy outlet, overwhelming emotions can cause teenagers a lot of pain. This is why many therapists recommend using music and music therapy as a way to handle their big emotions.
Because many teenagers already enjoy listening to (and even creating) music, it can be a useful tool for helping teenagers manage and overcome their feelings.
What is music therapy?
Music therapy is a form of therapy that involves using music to help individuals reach social and emotional goals like improving self-esteem, reducing stress, regulating emotions, and increasing self-awareness.
As a part of treatment, individuals may listen to music, compose their own songs, play an instrument, sing, or write song lyrics to accomplish these goals.
Typically, a therapist who specializes in music therapy will discuss needs, concerns, and goals with their patients, and then they will work with their patient to determine the form of musical expression that may be best suited for addressing these areas.
For instance, a patient with an extensive background in cello might compose a song on the instrument to bolster their self-image, relieve stress, and cope with depression. Someone without any experience playing an instrument, on the other hand, may write song lyrics instead if they have trouble expressing their feelings of sadness.
How can music therapy help teens?
While listening to music, writing songs, or playing an instrument might not seem significant, doing so can prove therapeutic and make a significant difference in a teen’s mental health journey.
Here are a few ways music therapy can help teens:
Improving self-image
Someitmes teens allow negative self talk to influence their thoughts about themselves. They may think that they are worthless or stupid or helpless, and these thoughts can impact their beliefs and even their actions.
Playing an instrument or writing a song can help them combat these negative thoughts.
By accomplishing a challenging task, teens will see that they aren’t worthless and that they have unique talents and abilities. Even if they aren’t the most gifted or talented musician in the world, they can be proud of themselves for taking on a challenge and finding success.
Reducing stress and anxiety
Creating and listening to music has been shown to have a relaxation effect and to reduce stress levels.
Instead of holding onto stressful feelings, teens can release their stress by playing a challenging piece on an instrument or by listening to their favorite song and embracing its familiarity.
Listening to music can also be helpful for people experiencing high levels of anxiety. When teens are anxious, their heart rate can increase, their breaths can shorten, and their bodies can go into “fight or flight” mode.
Music can help counteract these effects. Studies have shown that a person’s heart rate and respiration can be influenced by the music they hear because of the way our brains process sound.
If a teenager is panicked and their heart is racing while they take shallow breaths, listening to a calming song can help lower their heart rate and encourage them to take deeper breaths.
Expressing emotions
When your teen feels bombarded with negative emotions, it can be hard for them to pinpoint exactly what they are feeling or how they should cope with these feelings.
Writing song lyrics can help them get their feelings across in a healthy way, and it will give them an outlet to speak their truth and be honest with themselves about the emotions they are experiencing.
Sometimes just getting their emotions out through singing or writing lyrics out on a page can be enough for them to realize that these emotions are not the end of the world and that their life can and will go on.
This will also help teens who have trouble communicating their feelings with a therapist. By sharing a song they wrote, teens can give their therapists a clearer idea of the mental health challenges they are facing.
If your teen is struggling to cope with their big emotions, try encouraging them to use music as an outlet or seek out a therapist who uses music therapy as an approach to treatment.