So Many Rewards When You Soundtrack Your Life

I currently have Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, on repeat. Like everything else in this country right now, the album has proven to be somewhat divisive. That said, art and politics are personal. I respect the right to like what you like and believe what you believe as long as you are not hateful and harmful to others. I have learned to engage in dialog for the purpose of sharing different points of view rather than to convince someone I am right. When it comes to art and politics, they will not be convinced and nor will I and we can still peacefully co-exist (and even like each other). Still, I had to chuckle when I recently heard someone respond to the comment, “My friends are very disappointed with Taylor’s new album,” with “Maybe you need new friends.”

I get it. I absolutely love all 12 songs. This album speaks to me so much right now. Maybe that’s because, despite the very precarious state of the world, I am personally in a good place. The Life of a Showgirl is a clever, happy, musical experience that matches what I’m feeling. Music can do that. When it does, you feel understood, even seen (even if you’re 25 years older than the person making the music). Feeling understood and seen are among the many rewards you enjoy when you soundtrack your life. Music connects us.

Storytelling

Music is a storytelling art form. Storytelling is an area where Taylor Swift shines. Her music may not be your thing but if you appreciate good storytelling, listen carefully to her expertly crafted lyrics. Storytelling is an important connector for humans. Fiction helps us build empathy and improve emotional and social intelligence. It’s a way we learn about and make sense of the world.

Health Rewards

In addition to serving as a unifier and world builder, music can improve a person’s physical and mental health. Listening to music engages your brain. It helps improve memory and, because it provides a total brain workout, it’s a great tool to use throughout the aging process. Music memory is one of the brain functions most resistant to dementia. Research suggests listening to music can also reduce anxiety, depression, blood pressure, and pain. And it can improve sleep quality and mental alertness. Music can also enhance the effectiveness of a workout, which brings with it a separate set of benefits. So music is a good thing and the rewards of listening are plentiful.

We Experience Life Through Our Senses

We experience life through our senses and each of them can invoke feelings and memories. The musical sounds we hear, the songs, can remind us of particular events or people. Others remind us of times gone by. Upon hearing the music, you may remember details of a time that include who was there, what you wore, what you ate, even what you said. You might recall the way you felt. This is separate from the fact that at a certain age, we forget what we were saying or doing regularly but so many of us never forget the words to the songs we loved.

Then there are Taylor Swift tunes that deliberately evoke blasts from the past like the Jackson 5 and George Michael, and succeed in conjuring up old memories while creating new ones at the same time. Who doesn’t love a twofer? The past-present connection can be powerful and has such an important place in the soundtrack of any life.

Soundtracks Connect Your Past, Present, and Future

On one of the best dates I’ve ever experienced, we exchanged phones to see one another’s taste in music. His music was all old stuff, classics from the 1970s. Mine was much newer, very much on brand for the mother of three daughters who wanted to know their world. These choices revealed so much about each of us and proved to be such an interesting and fun way of getting to know one another. Curiously, I often sit on my balcony listening to ’70s classics these days and he has been known to sit in coffee shops overseas listening to the latest pop hits (not necessarily by choice but I’m pretty sure he’s learned to appreciate some of them). Like us, our musical tastes can evolve in countless directions.

Music speaks to who you were, who you are and who you may become. Soundtracking is the music that helps tell a story in a movie. Your life is your movie. The past is written, the present is happening and the future is largely up to you. Your soundtrack represents all that brought you to this point in time and all that lies ahead, including the good, the bad, and the perfectly imperfect. Choose your songs well, enjoy them to the fullest and let them do their magic.

Related Posts

The Benefits of Dancing: Dancing Through Life to Better Health

Using All the Senses to Experience Life Can Promote More Joy

Musical Playlist While You Ponder This Post

California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas (Billboard Song of the Year 1966, the year I was born), Tapestry by Carole King and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John as a bonus for the 1970s (my older brother would choose Stairway to Heaven but this is MY playlist), Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin and Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey as a bonus because I had babies that decade for the 1990s, I Got a Feeling by Black Eyed Peas and Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie as a bonus for the 2000s, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars with Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake as a bonus for the 2010s, The Fate of Ophelia and Wish List and Opalite by Taylor Swift for the 2020s so far

P.S. A full soundtrack of my life would have so many more songs, including a sprinkling of Barry Manilow, James Taylor, Beach Boys, Bread, America, Adele, Beyoncé and some Broadway show tunes. But that’s just me. What’s your soundtrack?

Thinking and Trying

Something to think about: “I’ve always felt music is the only way to give an instantaneous moment the feel of slow motion. To romanticise it and glorify it and give it a soundtrack and a rhythm.” – Taylor Swift

Something to try: Listen to what the kids listen to. We often gravitate to the music we listened to when we were younger and many people avoid listening to current music. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, new music challenges the brain in a way that old music doesn’t. It might not feel pleasurable at first, but that unfamiliarity forces the brain to struggle to understand the new sound.

Join Our Tribe

I always feel smarter and stronger when I listen to and connect with wise people. My friends and fellow coaches Maria and Lorin are among the wisest people I know. The three of us joined together to bring you the Unpacking Midlife With The Wise Women podcast. You can listen on Spotify or Apple podcasts. We share our thoughts, concerns, and joys relating to our journeys through midlife. Whether you’re seeking guidance, validation, or simply the comfort of knowing you’re not alone, tune in to be part of this community of wise women. You might be interested in listening to our episode on music. You can find it here on Spotify or here on Apple.

Coaching Can Help

If you’re struggling to connect with music and you question what your interests really are at this point in your life, you might benefit from working with a coach. Contact me here to talk about how coaching can help you develop healthy habits that keep you feeling your best. The first session is 15 minutes over Zoom and it’s free.