How the Magic of Music helped me and millions more during Lockdown

Music can help beat anxiety, stress and even depression. The King Alfred School Academy student Samara, 16, explains how music has been magic for millions during the Covid19 lockdown.

From Rap to R and B, Disco to Jazz, Classical to Rock, music is the universal language of the world. Through music, we can connect with ourselves, others and the world around us, diminishing the controversial barriers of ethnicity, sexuality, age and background. Music truly has the power to unite us as one.

“Limitless. Powerful. Beautiful. Motivating. Music has an extensive range of impacts on our minds, bodies and wellbeing. Over the years, it has been proven to: lessen anxiety, lessen physical pain, reduce stress, provide comfort, reduce depressive symptoms and improve the brain’s processing capabilities.”

Samara, 16.

Coronavirus. The biggest crisis the country has seen since WW2. School Closures. Shop Closures. Being asked to stay home. Cancelled Exams. It’s all been an awful lot for our minds to adapt too.

Going months without seeing friends, family and teachers. Being told to keep a 2m distance from anyone else outside your household. To be asked to wear a face covering.

This is just a few of the many changes we have been asked to implement into our lives as we adapt to the new normal. This year has truly been one of a kind and one I’ll certainly be remembering for the rest of my life.

Throughout lockdown, we all had to somehow find our new “normal”. Whether that was: Homeschooling, Zoom Conferences, Videocalling Family and Friends, Google Classroom or Virtual Fitness workouts, we all needed to find something to help us pass the time.

Some of us turned to learning a new language, some of us turned to delivering to the vulnerable, some of us turned to taking up upon a new hobby whereas many of us relied upon music.

Limitless. Powerful. Beautiful. Motivating. Music has an extensive range of impacts on our minds, bodies and wellbeing. Over the years, it has been proven to: lessen anxiety, lessen physical pain, reduce stress, provide comfort, reduce depressive symptoms and improve the brain’s processing capabilities.

In fact, it’s also been proven to enhance cognitive function and improve motor skills, allowing us to function better and process the ever changing world around us. Remarkable, isn’t it? How a few minutes of our favourite song, listening to a new track off our radio station or listening to our favourite album has the capability to make this much of a change. It really just goes to show how much of a difference music can truly make in our lives.

Music has always been a safe place where people, especially teens, are able to explore and express their emotions, without feeling the worry of being judged or frowned upon. No matter how hard, lonely and tedious the day seemed in quarantine, music was always there to reassure, relax and motivate us to keep going, no matter how uncertain the future might’ve started to look like.

Recently, I interviewed a few people to hear their personal experience of how music has helped them during the “lockdown”:

Megan, 16, told me: “I found that the music helped put my mind off of things and the more upbeat songs generally helped to boost my mood for the better. In terms of motivation it was used more as a distraction than anything to take my mind off of the bad. I found that certain songs by one-republic really helped me cope. Listening to the lyrics reminded me things will get better so don’t give up.”

Ellie, 16, said: “I listened to music every day, especially rock music. Just calmed me down and helped me think things through more rationally. And made me feel a little better and calmer. And yeah, music always has done that for me so yeah i guess it helps to escape to a different place.”

And Lucy, 16, said: “I listened to music every day through lockdown, usually it would be 80s music on Absolute 80s radio. Music can quite often lift my mood if I’m feeling low, especially when I can put it on loud in the car. I find music a good coping strategy and certain songs can lessen my feeling of isolation.”

Throughout the lockdown, music has been a lifeline for our day to day routines. Whether that was to relax our mind, improve our productivity, or just simply be a reason for us to wake up in the morning, it has never had more of a profound impact on our lives than it has this year.