Imagine if you arrived at the Kennedy Center to hear the NSO perform Beethoven’s No. 5 symphony, but to your surprise, only the violin section appeared on stage with all other instruments and their accompanying maestros completely absent. Imagine that you pulled up one of your favorite songs, “More Than Words” by Extreme, hit play, and heard only one member of the band singing, while the other with his masterful harmonies was suddenly gone. Or imagine singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” rounds alone.
None of it would work. And, honestly, all of it would sound awful.
That’s a lot like life…
without connection.
Humans are designed for connection, not isolation. We intend to create in partnership and cooperation. It’s how the greatest music works are etched in our hearts and minds. It’s what enables a call-and-response performance and what spurs a concert audience to sing along with flash-lit phones held high.
Similarly, without connection, participation, cooperation, and partnership, we cannot create music with our lives. Make no mistake. Your life is meant to be a symphony, not a solo produced by a lone fiddle (although lone fiddles can still produce beautiful music, it would be terribly lonely especially if no one were around to listen).
A symphonic life is one marked by mental health, and it happens because of connection. Did you know that regularly connecting with others results in the following benefits (according to Stanford University)?
- Increased self-esteem
- Decreased incidents of anxiety and depression
- Increased ability to regulate emotions
- Altered DNA that enhances your immune system
- 50% more longevity (aka, you live longer)
Mental, physical, social, and emotional health are all outcomes of intentional human connection. Are any of these areas of your life in need of improvement? Consider prescribing yourself with social connection.
Here are five ways to boost your social connection practice, and thereby enhance your mental health:
- Hang up your thumbs and pick up the phone. Talk with a friend on the phone instead of texting them. The sound of the human voice elicits the oxytocin hormone, which makes us feel calm.
- Get out of your room or office and into a coffee shop. Take your work to go whenever you can. Simply being around others presents us with the opportunity to make eye contact and feel a sense of belonging with the rest of humanity.
- Step out of your comfort zone and attend a concert or recital of someone you don’t know. Belonging is a human need. As a musician, it is fitting to belong to the category of “musicians” by supporting fellow musicians. Connect with others in your group by showing your support.
- Get off Snapchat and go to a local music or seasonal festival. Participating in life requires human interface. Opportunities for success, friendship, and even love hinge on putting yourself into positions in which you might discover them. A head buried in a phone guarantees missed opportunities for connection, and therefore missed opportunities to improve your mental health.
- Create the soundtrack of your life. Every movie has a soundtrack, and your life is like a movie. What songs would you include on the soundtrack of your life? Would you split it into phases? Would you add songs that reflect the future you desire? Music is a profoundly effective way to share who you are, when it feels like you don’t have the words. Is there someone in your life that you wish understood you better? Consider creating a playlist of the soundtrack of your life and share it with that person.
You are made for connection, not isolation. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and create your personal symphony. We’re listening.
This is mental health (and music).
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Thriving Thoughts Global is a 501(c)3 that is redefining mental health and inspiring you to improve your own simply by changing the way you think.
We bring the best practices of cognitive-behavioral and reality theories to YOU, the people, because you deserve to be equipped with these tools long before you experience a crisis in which you’ll need them. And, trust us, you WILL need them because no one is immune from life’s inevitable, unexpected events.
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You have the power to improve your mental health, one thought at a time. We teach you how. We are Thriving Thoughts Global.
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