We all know how a smell or flavor can instantly transport us to a specific memory. I once started crying at my local farmer’s market because the smell of their breads instantly transported me to Heidelberg, Germany where I lived for a year over 20 years ago!
Music has a similar magic to it. It can transport you to a specific memory. Better than that, it can transform your persona.
Some runners have playlists with specific BPMs to help them stay on pace. Pro-wrestlers have their walk-on music.
Imagine your favorite dramatic scene with the score from a slapstick comedy. Totally different, right?
Music is powerful!
Here are the 5 songs you need to have in your life
Create your personal playlist OR make a playlist for each type if you’re really into it.
If you need help finding a song for each, consider:
Is there an artist you want to emulate?
Is there a song with a specific memory?
What kind of beat or lyrics support the energy you are looking for?
Walk-On Song
Imagine you are walking onto a stage. Maybe you are a pro-wrestler, a rockstar, a guest on a talk show, or getting your moment in the center of the dance circle with your friends.
What song will give you the confidence and pride in who you are so you don’t walk, you STRUT?
F This Song
Sometimes you just need to let the heavy feelings out! When you are ready to flip a table or throw a glass, put on this song so you don’t have to clean up a mess. (Unless you are auditioning for the cast of Real Housewives.)
What song will help you tap into the “F This” energy you are feeling and unleash it instead of stewing in it?
Chill Out Song
This may be a good one for after the F This Song. 🙂
Use this song when you are looking to chill out, hit the reset button, catch your breath, or turn off your brain. I use this sometimes when I am feeling anxious to help me focus on my breathing.
What song will help you slow down and be present?
I Gotta Move Song
This is the song that will get you to the dance floor, banging on your steering wheel, or moving your body in the check-out line every single time!
Use this song whenever you need to move or take action. It is extra powerful when used with an activity you don't want to do like folding laundry or washing dishes.
It’s also a great song to use when you are heading to an event you are not really wanting to go to like that meeting that TOTALLY could have been an email or a middle school recital.
What song gets you moving every time you hear it?
Pass the Tissues Song
It is healthy and human to experience the full range of emotions. That includes the ones we’d rather not be with.
When sad emotions hit, sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is let yourself experience it. This is not easy for a lot of people, particularly men who are often taught at a young age to not cry.
Take care of yourself with this one. As a person with Depression, I know that there are some times when it isn’t a great idea for me to stay in this space very long.
My favorite example of this song at work: In middle school, every all-girl sleepover had a moment where we were all laying around in the dark listening to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and balling about some lost love.
What song will help you sit with the emotion rather than avoid it?