Music As Stress Reliever

INTRODUCTION

Chapter I - Introduction

A. Background Study

Music is everywhere can be heard, can be sing, can be feel but you cannot touch them. In our daily life there is some instancing that we listen to music to entertain our mind, everyone loves music! Music is entertaining especially if we enjoy the music we listen.

Many of us listen to the music just to cure our boredom and for fun? But majority of us we use music just for entertainment! Music is used for mostly singing and dancing. It also entertains us just by listening to our favourite playlist. Since it entertains us, it makes our mind think clearly and positively. With our cutting edge technology with internet handy, listening and even watching music videos possible! Watching our favourite music video makes us feel better. Different category of music depends on where our mind would respond best. Our mood also depends on the type of music we listen to. It makes us feel out of the box which makes us think more positively.

Zen Master created a short article entitled “The importance of music”. In his article, he stated that, “Music can cheer us up and help us to have a good time or simply helped us think. Whatever you listen to do a little bit daily, things in life inspire us to create music. ”(http://www.booksie.com/editorial_and_opinion/article/zen_master/the-importance-of-music-a-short-essay)



Our brain works from the moment we sleep until we open our eyes. Our brain is like a super computer that can manage to work specific tasks logically and keeping our external and internal work as well. Either we’re working, studying, driving, or whatever we’re doing; we unconsciously use music as our past time.  Being in a past time doesn’t mean we’re on idle but music can work together while we’re working on our daily tasks. Music can make us work further and makes us think vividly.

Jonathan Berger wrote an article entitled “How Music Hijacks our perception of time.” In this article, he stated that “In recent years, numerous studies have shown how music hijacks our relationship with everyday time. For instance, more drinks are sold in bars when with slow-tempo music, which seems to make the bar a more enjoyable environment, one in which patrons want to linger—and order another round.1 Similarly, consumers spend 38 percent more time in the grocery store when the background music is slow.2 Familiarity is also a factor. Shoppers perceive longer shopping times when they are familiar with the background music in the store, but actually spend more time shopping when the music is novel.3 Novel music is perceived as more pleasurable, making the time seem to pass quicker, and so shoppers stay in the stores longer than they may imagine.” (http://nautil.us/issue/9/time/how-music-hijacks-our-perception-of-time)



However, music has another role in our life, unconsciously it has a lot of benefits that aside from making us feel good, and music can be a cure for mental and physical issues at the same time. Music makes us feel good every time we tune in to our favorite songs. Even listening to radio while driving is also a soothing feeling during a stressful day. Listening to music changes our mood.

Naomi Coleman made an article entitled “why listening to music Is the key to good health.” In this article, she stated that “there’s no doubt that listening to your favorite music can instantly put you in a good mood. But scientists are now discovering that music can do more than just lift your spirits.” (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-137116/Why-listening-music-key-good-health.html)


A problem that many of us think that music is just for entertainment and to cure our boredom during killing time which is to alleviate our mood. They believe music is just for fun for us to listen and sing it out loud.

Another thing is that we take advantage of music thinking that it is just a music video or something that we just hear in our gadgets. Most us would think that it is a piece of genuine that artists must construct geniusly to generate income, not knowing that it has other benefits.

We usually focus on one thing. We usually look at things as a 2 dimensional phase, not exploring what else music can do or help us. It’s like, “”what you see / hear is what you get.” We may know the meaning of each song represents, not knowing that artists compose their genuine art because it makes them feel good as well.


The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence and prove that music is like water as we know it. Just like water, it is harmless and spontaneous in a way that music can be applied in every way. Music is not just a form of entertainment but it is also a cure for the ill. Music can divert our mind that relieve our stress that improve the quality of our daily task that we encounter most of it are stressful to us. Music therapy helps people to improve their mental state of mind in a way their mind recovers from being distress to calm state of mind.
Depressed people listening to music help them decrease the level of anxiety. It is also to help the future researcher about an alternative cure for patients. This is to provide supplemental knowledge about another kind of therapy that can be a cure for patients.


B. Statement of the Problem

This study aims to answer this question:
Music prove that can help to ease our mind and body and it can be use in medical shall as music therapy?



C. Significance of the Study

1. Patient – this study would be able to elaborate with proven tests on how music therapy works. This study shows that it is now being practiced in some countries.
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2. Students – this research paper would explain that music is not just an entertainment. It would serve as an eye opener that it is also part of culture and serves also as a cure.

3. Workers – this research paper would show.

4. Future Researcher – This will help other researcher to help them to their research by providing guides and information that will be useful to them.



D. Scope and Delimitation

The information collected in this paper are read and gathered from articles posted online relevant to the topic of Music as stress reliever.
The articles are usually advice or essays, but occasionally there are personal stories provided from music by analyzing this accumulated information, they can be presented in this writing through the method of listing down Music benefits and connecting them with how they are useful to the therapist.


E. Materials and Method

The researcher gathered the information through various blogs, articles and studies. The researcher gathered datum to provide supplemental knowledge about the topic I chose for future researchers. This research will also provide answers that music therapy is now considered as cure.


F. Definition of Terms

1. Diversion - an activity or recreation that diverts the mind from being in a serious or tedious manner.

2. Music - is an art that written either words or notes that produces harmony. It can be vocal or instrumental

3. Therapist - is a skilled person conducting a therapy in a particular kind. A person qualified and trained to assess the problem and an effective cure that works on case to case basis on a certain patient.

4. Therapy - is an activity conducted by a professional trained to diagnose and cure mental and emotional problem of a patient.




CHAPTER II

Definition of Musical Therapy

Musical Therapy is a program being used in some hospital to help the patient to recover anxiety, physical and emotional state of the person that bother them in their daily task, with this program its promote and maintain their good state of behaviour that will help them to balance their human behavior.


What are the benefits of Music

A. Definition of Music Therapy

MT is a type of treatment used in various patients in need of a supporting and effective way for them to either communicate, focus, and many more. It targets all ages in a harmless way, MT has procedures and programs used by highly educated and well trained therapists that diagnoses each patient’s issues.

Elizabeth Scott made an article entitled “why is music a good tool for health.” The article says “Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring.” (http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.htm)


B. Music Is Therapeutic

Typically, we just listen to music to alleviate our mood. Not knowing that by just simply listening to it is already therapeutic. Music caters people of all ages from an infant to elderly. Even watching music videos can make us be a calm state that makes our mind work. Music is now being used in therapies. In fact, most of the hospitals all over the world accredit therapists to conduct music therapy. MT is now being used a short term treatment since patients do cooperate and communicate by music either singing, dancing or playing an instrument.

Megan Hinman wrote an article about her study entitled “Music Therapy: Myths and Misconceptions” which purpose is to inform that it is possible to use music as a therapy. The article says “for most people, the idea of music being therapeutic seems pretty logical. But did you know that music therapists are highly educated professionals with special standardized training.” (http://brooklynletters.com/2010/12/blog/music-therapy-myths-and-misconceptions-by-meghan-himan/)

C. Short term treatment

Origin and studies is the perfect recipe for a well accredited therapy. As we all know, music can make us feel by the way we comprehend a piece. Our brain responds to a music that makes us feel relaxed. In medical field, MT is considered a short term treatment since music can easily make a patient respond or communicate as well. MT is already an accredited type of therapy depending in each country. In example, MT is being used for people with ADHD or autism, during the sessions; therapists have their patients dance, and sing or even play an instrument which makes it easier for their cooperation makes the patients to uplift their mood. It is a kind of treatment that doesn’t take long terms. People suffering from depressions as well uses music since we believe that music is therapeutic and it may only take us hours or days to get over our negative feeling.

Barbara Dozier wrote a study about “Music a stimulus: Effectiveness of Music therapy intervention on sleep disorders in adults suffering from depression. ( https://www.barbradozier.wordpress.com)

She stated that “selected rehabilitation centers that practice the use of music therapy interventions in the treatment of sleep disorders among people with depression.” She stated that during the MT is conducted, because of its restrictions, they usually rely on the somewhat effectiveness and response of MT in a certain patient. Just like the study she made about depression, the patient responds to the session every time the therapist questions about their emotion and reaction. Despite of its limitations, MT is used as a way to communicate with their patient whereas MT could serve like a brain scan. The patient reacts to it and even talk about it with the therapist which can also help the activity be more definitive.

D.   Stress Reliever

We have a lot of ways to relieve stress, music is one of them. It is a harmless thing that elevates of senses to a different level. Aside from entertaining our mind, it also diverts our attention which makes us focus more on our tasks. The lyrics and the harmony of the songs we listen to makes us picture even ourselves to somewhat be calm. Sine stress targets our vulnerable parts of our body; music is more like a cure for it.

Saarikallio S &Erikilla J. wrote an article about “Seven ways Music Influences Mood” In this article, it talks about how music influences the behaviour of a human and how it reacts to different types of music. The author also mentioned that some people have their own style of listening to music that appreciates or feels the essence of music which will help them relieve their stress and boost their inner emotion. One of the great goals of listening to music is that it improves their mood and it can actually make us control our emotion in a certain situation. That “Good music has direct access to the emotions. As such it’s a fantastic tool for tweaking our moods.”  (http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/03/seven-ways-music-influences-mood.php.)



Conclusion

Music is a powerful art that serves as a tool that makes us one. It defines our culture and origin through music. It also serves as tool for treatment. Just like any other proposed cure, it is still being studied on how it can increase the effectiveness of music therapy. MT must be conducted by a qualified and highly trained therapist since it can cause a negative reaction for the patient. Therapists must use a case to case basis treatment in each patient and uses the right category   of music that can positively make a good reaction on improvement on a patient’s case. Music is not just a form of entertainment; it also soothes an injured soul, mind and body.




Chapter III

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS


Summary

This paper is an effort to find out different benefits of music and music as a therapy.
The research design used in this study is the descriptive research method wherein data from interviews, article and studies found online were used to answer the research question posed.

The research findings are the following:
1. Music is a form of entertainment that serves as a mood elevator.

2. Most of us don’t know that there is a benefit of listening music for our health.

3. A lot of therapist use music to help patients concentrate and focus in their task without             using any medication drugs.
4. A lot of patients require to take a lot of medication while the therapist help you
         to prescribe the right program for your need and medication while they are in your side          to  advice and guide you on what to do.

Conclusion

Base on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn:

1.      Music is not just for entertainment but also for the good benefits of the health.

2.      Music is therapeutically.

3.      Music therapy is caters of all people of all ages.

4.      It is a harmless tool use as a cure that being use in some hospital.



Recommendations

The researcher hereby makes the following recommendations:

1.      Choose your music that will make you feel relax and comfortable to ease your mind              and body.

2.      Collaborate your favorites song with your daily task to help you think more and stay              focus.

3.      Music can also be a soothing solution for your mental and physical issue.

4.      Always consult a highly trained professional therapist first for necessary actions.



References

Berger, J. (2014) How Music Hijacks Our Perception of Time. Retrieved on: November 4, 2014 From: http://nautil.us/issue/9/time/how-music-hijacks-our-perception-of-time

Coleman, N. (ND) Why Listening is the Key to Good Health. Retrieved on: November 5, 2014 from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-137116/Why-listening-music-key-good-health.html

Dozier, B. (ND) a stimulus: Effectiveness of Music therapy intervention on sleep disorders in adults suffering from depression. Retrieved on: December 11, 2014 from: https://www.barbradozier.wordpress.com

Hinman, M. (2010) Therapy: Myths and Misconceptions. Retrieved on: December 14, 2014 from: http://brooklynletters.com/2010/12/blog/music-therapy-myths-and-misconceptions-by-meghan-himan/

Master, Z (2009) The importance of music. Retrieved on: December 15, 2014 ). From:  http://www.booksie.com/editorial_and_opinion/article/zen_master/the-importance-of-music-a-short-essay)

Scott, E. (2014) Why is music a good tool for health. Retrieved on: Novemeber 18, 2014 from: http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.html

Saarikallio, S. and Erikilla, J. (2007) Seven ways Music Influences Mood Retrieved on: November 25, 2015 from: http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/03/seven-ways-music-influences-mood.php/