In music, there are very many songs that are melancholy and have sad lyrics. Listening to such songs can make your depression even worse. But it has been also said that such songs can help you to cope with your emotions. Is that the case with you? If so, what songs and what specific lyrics and how exactly do they help?
Ideas & Opinions Do sad songs hurt or help you to cope?
- Thread starter Winslow
- Start date
In discussing such Melancholy music, it can get confusing because one has to differentiate between so-called "Blues" music and so-called "Rhythm and Blues"(R&B).
Also interwoven into some of those songs is optimism because R&B sometimes tries to overcome depressive feelings. So even though Melancholy is Gloom but it differs from depression.
There are different layers and different shades when discussing the emotion of the Blues.
Also interwoven into some of those songs is optimism because R&B sometimes tries to overcome depressive feelings. So even though Melancholy is Gloom but it differs from depression.
There are different layers and different shades when discussing the emotion of the Blues.
Definitely hurt. There are some songs in particular that are serious triggers for me so I never play them. Songs that remind me of certain events and certain people so it would be silly of me to play them anymore. I think positive and happy, upbeat music is the way to go. What I love most about trance is it can make you cry from joy, its a certain type of music that's hard to explain. I could listen to trance for 12 hours straight every day and never get bored of it. 
Definitely hurt. There are some songs in particular that are serious triggers for me so I never play them. Songs that remind me of certain events and certain people so it would be silly of me to play them anymore. I think positive and happy, upbeat music is the way to go. What I love most about trance is it can make you cry from joy, its a certain type of music that's hard to explain. I could listen to trance for 12 hours straight every day and never get bored of it.
For me depression can sometimes feel like something you have to "go through" as in experience emotions and somehow mentally process and overcome. That's ofcourse totally bs and no one can think their way out of a depression by going through emotions. But I think it's deeply ingrained in us that feeling stuff is somehow a way to overcome and music helps with that. Gives us a sense of expressing ourselves we can't do on our own.
For me music is a coping mechanism. A way to feel without thinking. It can ofcourse lead to getting stuck in the emotions for a while and make the depressive thoughts worse. But I'd argue that if we didn't feel we needed that to happen would we even put that music on?
For me music is a coping mechanism. A way to feel without thinking. It can ofcourse lead to getting stuck in the emotions for a while and make the depressive thoughts worse. But I'd argue that if we didn't feel we needed that to happen would we even put that music on?
if they're slow paced sad songs they make me feel worse, but if they're fast paced sad songs they help me. I listen to a lot of energetic sad songs, aka rock/metal music that's heavy and energetic but the lyrics are about feeling depressed or alone or anxious etc. I find it very therapeutic, sometimes sing along and feels good to express those dark feelings. Takes the edge off it for me, it feels less heavy and more just like -yep this is a fact of life right now, embrace it, sing along- , like it helps me accept bad things easier.
I say that but sometimes I feel so down I can't face listening to any music at all, I become apathetic to it.
I say that but sometimes I feel so down I can't face listening to any music at all, I become apathetic to it.
Warning: The following material is heavily subjective and written by an opinionated idiot. Exposure to extreme subjectivity can be harmful to your mental health, please read with care.
When music closely matches your emotions, it kinda amplifies it and brings it to the foreground, it makes it easier to feel your feelings. If you are repressed and need to get those feelings out, music can work great as a pressure release valve, on top of this music also focuses your emotions. Emotions are rarely clean and simple, but most music has a clear emotion or feeling to them, and if that music closely matches your emotions, it can focus conflicted or confusing feelings into something less conflicted and simpler to understand, like smoothing a jagged surface.
If you are in lots of pain, that pain will likely be confused and conflicted and the myriad emotions can just cause more stress, playing appropriate music can sooth those painful emotions into a clear and calm misery, providing a release of sorts, the way I see it, its like finding someone struggling along rocky terrain on the way to throw themselves off a cliff and building them a road. The road makes their lives so much easier, but also lets them reach the cliff quicker.
When music closely matches your emotions, it kinda amplifies it and brings it to the foreground, it makes it easier to feel your feelings. If you are repressed and need to get those feelings out, music can work great as a pressure release valve, on top of this music also focuses your emotions. Emotions are rarely clean and simple, but most music has a clear emotion or feeling to them, and if that music closely matches your emotions, it can focus conflicted or confusing feelings into something less conflicted and simpler to understand, like smoothing a jagged surface.
If you are in lots of pain, that pain will likely be confused and conflicted and the myriad emotions can just cause more stress, playing appropriate music can sooth those painful emotions into a clear and calm misery, providing a release of sorts, the way I see it, its like finding someone struggling along rocky terrain on the way to throw themselves off a cliff and building them a road. The road makes their lives so much easier, but also lets them reach the cliff quicker.
I think it's depend on the listener. In my case, I feel relevant that someone are able to speak about a similar pain and suffering to mine. Nothing from the performance to the lyrics has ever been triggering. It's just normal, like I'm listening to a friend's venting.
For sad songs, I particularly enjoy NF. He is a rap artist. His songs are relatable to me since he talks about his real life issues, like depression, loss and working to be better.
For sad songs, I particularly enjoy NF. He is a rap artist. His songs are relatable to me since he talks about his real life issues, like depression, loss and working to be better.
Reading about the reasons people listen to sad music or the ways it could be beneficial was informative. As someone who avoids 99.37% of sad music, I never gave it much thought. I figured people just thought "I am sad so I will listen to sad music". It's amazing you never know what you are going to learn on a given day.
As a fellow trance lover I must ask where you find new trance these days. I started having real trouble finding some a few years ago and gave up, which was sad because I listened to it almost exclusively for maybe 5 years.
My short answer to this topic is, personally, I do feel that sad songs will usually put me into a negative thought spiral pretty quickly, so I stay far away from them. There are a few exceptions, but I'm not sure the rhyme (hah) or reason for those being an exception.
As a fellow trance lover I must ask where you find new trance these days. I started having real trouble finding some a few years ago and gave up, which was sad because I listened to it almost exclusively for maybe 5 years.
My short answer to this topic is, personally, I do feel that sad songs will usually put me into a negative thought spiral pretty quickly, so I stay far away from them. There are a few exceptions, but I'm not sure the rhyme (hah) or reason for those being an exception.
