The setting may feel all too familiar. Your child locks themselves in their room, blasting music at full volume, shutting themselves off from everything else and everyone and surrounding themselves with noise. The genres can vary: maybe they prefer the sound of electric guitars and banging drums, bass-boosted beats, someone screaming, or maybe all of the above.
If the music your child prefers tends to be on the louder side, listening to it can help during times when their 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 everything is happening at once. It can feel really overwhelming, because how can one start to untangle these feelings? Loud music can do just that – the volume and style can almost be a companion, making one feel less alone because it’s audio reflection of what the brain is going through.
Loud music can also help process and regulate the more intense emotions, offering a space where one feels 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 extreme music when working out: doing so lets one focus on the physical exercise, while doing so here lets them focus on the mental exercise.
So if your child ever needs an escape and something to cope, them blasting the loud music might just be what they need. Just remind them to be mindful and use headphones, and especially t be careful not to completely blast out their eardrums.
What kind of music does your child enjoy? Is their anything in particular that they listen to when they’re not feeling well?