Using Loud Music to Relax

Gavin Whitner via MusicOomph

The setting may feel all too familiar. You lock yourself in your room, blasting music at full volume, shutting yourself from everything else and everyone and surrounding yourself with noise. The genres can vary: maybe you prefer the sound of electric guitars and banging drums, bass-boosted beats, someone screaming, or maybe all of the above.

If the music you prefer tends to be on the louder side, listening to it can help during times when your depression and anxiety just won’t be quiet. A study conducted showed that those who like listening to “extreme” music when angry does not increase that anger, but instead helps to stabilize them. Those in the study also commented that they listened to the same kind of music when they were feeling down. And just like relaxing, calmer music, loud music can help decrease the emotions after listening, because it was something that they liked listening to. In fact, the upbeat music also help to make the people feel more inspired and active afterwards.

Having depression and anxiety comes with a lot of disjointed emotions, particularly anger and sadness, and sometimes, it feels like you’re feeling everything at once. It can feel really overwhelming, because where can you start to untangle these feelings? Loud music can do just that – the volume and style can almost be a companion, making you feel less alone because it’s audio reflection of what your brain is going through.

Loud music can also help process and regulate the more intense emotions, offering a space where you feel nothing but that noise. Sometimes, listening to upbeat, louder music music isn’t distracting but is instead the background noise needed to try and decipher what you’re feeling at that moment. It’s almost like listening to hype music when you’re working out: doing so lets you focus on the physical exercise, while doing so here lets you focus on the mental exercise.

So if you ever need an escape and something to cope, find that rock or rap playlist you enjoy and blast it. Just be mindful and use headphones, and be careful not to completely blast out your eardrums.

Do you like listening to “louder” music? If you like to listen to music to relax, what kind of genres do you prefer?