Saturday, August 24, 2013

Music and Wellness

One of the things I like to make a lot of use of, both in my own wellness and in working with my residents, is music. I have often found soothing music helps folks with dementia wind down after dinner and before bed, seeming to reduce sundowning-related distress. (It tends to help the staff, too!) For myself, I've found that certain music is better for certain times of day than others.

I have four main playlists on my phone/mp3 player: Gear Up, Wind Down, Rock Out, and Dancetastic. Some songs end up on more than one list, but the goal is to have a different overall feel to each playlist to fit its purpose. Generally, my objective is to shift my mood and energy in a particular direction as I drive from one location to the next.

The Gear Up playlist is what I tend to play on the way to work, and it has songs I find both energizing and motivational, including (but not remotely limited to) Sting's "Brand New Day," Elton John's "Crocodile Rock," Panjabi MC's "Jugni," Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times," and MC Yogi's "Be the Change," which is my latest favorite.

Wind Down is exactly what it sounds like: the playlist for when I need to settle down after work or school. It's not super-super relaxing, as I still tend to play it while driving, but much more focused on mellow and soothing than upbeat and inspiring. Songs on this list include Madonna's "Cherish," Pink's "Dear Diary," Blue Gillespie's "Making Sound," and more MC Yogi with "Shanti (Peace Out)."

Rock Out would probably be more aptly named "Road Trip," as I mostly use it for when I am driving long distances and not all the songs would typically be classified as rock. Adam Lambert's "Strut," for example, has the type of driving beat that is needed for long stretches behind the wheel, but is more pop than rock. AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" and Metallica's "Fuel" (the live, full orchestral accompaniment version, thank you very much), and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," are a bit more obvious.

Dancetastic is, well, dance music. I like to go out dancing after work, and shifting gears from "work mode" to "dance mode" is definitely helped by listening to some Lady Gaga (e.g. "Just Dance"), J-Lo ("Let's Get Loud"), John Barrowman ("I Gotta Feeling") or The Wanted ("Glad You Came").

The point is, for a busy nurse (or busy anyone) on the go, music is one way to make sure you're nurturing yourself and recharging during drive time that can otherwise be draining. I included the song examples and links because I think people often associate music that's intended to be holistic-wellness oriented to be all wave sounds and flute music. You know the type I mean. And that's exactly the music I use during a Reiki session. But there are other ways to use music to support wellness, and yes, that can include Metallica.