Chaplain's Chat

Hi everyone, 

It’s good to see everyone back at school this week! You have all done a great job in adjusting and adapting to these changes that keep happening this year. 

One unique way of coping with changes in our lives can be using music! We all know that exercise can be a good way to regulate our emotions but equally music and art can have their place in helping us to release and find calm

According to research, music stimulates brain chemicals which can improve motivation, relieve stress and help with mental energy. It is a useful tool because it can be used during your daily activities and can provide a great backdrop to your life. Music has the power to change people’s moods. It can take someone from feeling sad to feeling happy. It can also energise you and give you the motivation needed to get things done. 

So how can we use music to improve our moods and a way to cope? 

Listen: Stop for a minute and reflect on yourself and figure out how you are currently feeling. Is that what you would like to be feeling? Is there something you would like to feel instead? Make a playlist for different moods and listen to them when you want to feel that way. 

Play: Playing an instrument is a great way to use music to cope and you can express a lot of emotion without using words while you play an instrument. If you don't play an instrument, you can also sing! 

Create: Writing music can be a great way to get some feelings out! Children can make up little songs to mimic what they are feeling and use it to express some difficult emotions and experiences. 

Move: Movement and music go together. If you don’t want to play or sing, you can express yourself with your body. Moving to music can change your state of mind. Moving to music can be freeing and fun. Sometimes when you are in a bad mood, all you need is an impromptu dance party.

My challenge to you is to take a few minutes today and use music as a way to cope with life’s stressors. See how much you can change your state of mind simply by using music.