Music and the Mind

How music can promote mental health in peak seasonal depression months.

Written by Ava Brennan

The air grows cold, and daylight grows scarce. Getting out of bed in the morning is often hard enough without the promise of a bone-chilling breeze as you walk down Euclid Avenue. The months of December, January and February are often perceived as peak times for seasonal depression.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, "Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression triggered by a change in seasons, usually when fall starts. This seasonal depression gets worse in the late fall or early winter before ending in the sunnier days of spring.”

As someone who experiences this phenomenon, I’ve spent the last few years searching for a solution or a positive way to cope. Music has always been a source of comfort for me, helping me find artists and songs that reflect how I think and feel. For me, listening to the right song after a difficult day often feels therapeutic. 

Seasonal depression’s effects do not discriminate, and some lessons learned in the classroom can be used as tools to support mental health.. 

Anastasia White, a senior music therapy student, shared her knowledge of music therapy, and how she uses music as a healthy coping mechanism. 

“Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based practice of using music to address non-musical goals,” White said.

These goals can range from encouraging motor skills in stroke rehabilitation patients to improving  communication in individuals with autism. 

White decided to pursue a career in music therapy because of her experience as a patient. She was diagnosed with brain cancer at 5 years old, and when White reached high school, she faced a particularly difficult period of her illness. She was referred to a music therapist as a means for positive distraction during treatment. 

“Chemotherapy is rough. Not only physically, but mentally as well.” White said, “I would look forward to [music therapy] every week.” 

The therapy served as a source of comfort for White during a time when her diagnosis was taking a toll on her physical and mental health. She said this is why she has chosen to pursue it as a career. 

“Music therapy became an outlet for me and helped me a lot,” White said. “I want to be that same source of comfort for children in a similar scenario as me.”

White uses music as a therapeutic source when she faces mental struggles, applying the concepts from her classes to her own mental health care. Her favorite way to process her feelings is through instrumentals. 

“A big reason why I like pop-punk is the intensity of the instrumentation, specifically the guitar and power chords,” White said. “I feel like it embodies my anxiety and matches the intensity of it, so when I listen to this type of music, it helps me let go of some of that anxiety.” 

In these months when seasonal depression is at its peak, connection can become difficult and many resort to isolation. Music is a powerful way to connect people, both in person and remotely.  White encourages individuals to share music with friends and loved ones as a means of positive interaction, even if the mind is in a negative space. 

“Music can be used to increase engagement and socialization to decrease isolation,” White said. “So you could do a collab playlist, so you can see what kind of music your friends like…it builds a sense of community.” 

White shared a music therapy concept that can help to manage difficult feelings: the ISO principle. The practice involves listening to music that matches your current mood and gradually shifting to songs that guide you to the mood you would like to reach. 

“If you’re feeling a little funky or a little sad you can start with music you would consider more moody or sad,” White said, “but then through the playlist you slowly bump each song up in feeling or mood.” 

The goal of this practice isn’t to erase feelings, but to acknowledge the current state while making an effort to move to a more positive mental space. It can also help shift high-energy states, like anxiety, to a calmer place. 

Emily Guthe, a clinical assistant professor in Cleveland State University’s music therapy program, shared her insight on using music therapy as a coping mechanism. Guthe has been a music therapist for 10 years and currently works in behavioral health at the Cleveland Clinic. 

“We have to match the energy where our brain is at,” Guthe said about the ISO principle. “So you could find music that matches your anxiety level and bring it back down.” 

She shared that she usually aims towards songs and genres that are familiar to her. 

“If I’m already in a mental space where I don’t feel grounded in and I listen to unfamiliar stuff, it makes me feel even more ungrounded,” Guthe said. “I just need to know what's coming in the music.” 

Guthe said that music therapy can only be offered by a professional, but there are other general ways to consider music as simply therapeutic.

“Music therapy specifically is only offered by a licensed and board-certified professional,” Guthe said. “[When we] talk about the general student body, we talk about music that is therapeutic, rather than music therapy.”  

Considering this, Guthe shared how she tackles intense feelings or depressive periods through music.

“I know that I’m depressed when I don’t listen to music,” Guthe said. “If I’m in the car and I’m only listening to podcasts or audiobooks for a couple days, I know I need to check myself.”

The idea of using music as a therapeutic tactic to promote positive mental health is one that seems to be shared among students, professors and professionals.

Shelby Jones, a sophomore music therapy student at CSU, started her college education as a musical theatre student before transferring to CSU. Jones quickly realized that musical theatre was not the career she was called to. 

“I knew it wasn’t for me,” Jones said. “I don’t like competition and I didn’t have a great understanding of what the professional scene of musical theatre looked like.”

Jones first discovered the idea of music therapy through a video from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She felt an emotional connection to the profession after her grandfather passed away from complications of a stroke.

“I had this idea that music can be used for so much more than I can even understand right now. I know that music therapy could’ve made my grandfather’s last couple of years more joyful,” Jones said. “So knowing that was really inspirational for me.” 

As Jones pursues a career in music therapy, she has also picked up valuable skills to apply to her own life. 

“I tend to find music that the lyrics say what I’m feeling internally,” Jones said. “So if I’m not able to express how I feel through my own words, finding music with lyrics that connect with how I feel helps me.” 

Jones’ favorite genres are folk and alternative, and often enjoys a calm and dreamy sound. She  shared that when she’s having a hard day, her favorite way to manage those feelings with music is through singing.

“When I’m feeling happy, sad or anything else, I always find music to sing to,” Jones said. “I feel like that's the best way I cope with music.” 

Another therapeutic method Jones recommends is making music, which she believes everyone should try. 

“I think anyone can make music,” Jones said.“You don’t have to worry about what it sounds like, if it sounds good or not, because it's for you. So if that feels good for you, try to make some music.”