Music for your mental health journey
If we were to build the soundtrack of our lives, I’m sure the tracklist would encompass a myriad of emotions, vibes and stories. Music has been central to my journey, so here are some playlists I’ve helped curate with the Calm Collective community to inject good juju, regulate the headspace and give comfort. These consist of recommendations and personal picks across various genres, so I sincerely hope you find something you enjoy!
Songs that boost your mood
This feel-good recipe to channel “main character vibes” consists of self-love anthems, funky tunes to get you grooving, and some sing-along favourites. Of course, I also threw in some classics for the old souls – let’s see, do you remember the 21st night of September? So, take your spot on centre stage, grab a hairbrush, and vibe your way to a serotonin overflow! (P.S. I myself find the key changes in Beyonce’s “Love on Top” challenging, so don’t worry, I’ve added some chill tunes to head-bop to.)
Songs that keep you calm
Although I enjoy quiet, silence can be deafening sometimes. I appreciate alternating between reflective lyrics and instrumentals as I believe interludes provide opportunities to reconnect, recalibrate and re-centre. A personal favourite in this playlist is the transition from Vespers’ “My Soul Finds Rest” to Eric Chou’s “相信爱 (Always Believe In Love).” The soothing guitar perfectly complements the Chinese lyrics that sing “I can’t help but cherish how brave we are.” In this light, I hope we all find that courage to seek “calm” within ourselves too.
It’s OK not to be OK
Out of all, I’d say this playlist holds the most poignant narrative. The first phase consists of artists like Harry Styles (“Falling”) and Post Malone (“Paranoid”) who have penned their personal struggles, simulating the journey towards an acknowledgement of a state that may be far from ideal. When thoughts are too complicated to verbalize, these songs serve as comforting attempts to fill in the words. In the midst of reflective ballads, we then reach acceptance with bops guiding us to eventual peace. Take Phum Viphurit’s “Hello Anxiety,” which is a rather amicable conversation with his thoughts as reflected by the groovy bass and guitar licks. I’ve learned that confronting what perturbs me helps me process and befriend my experiences. With that comes a sense of hope and anticipation. Spiralling may be inevitable, but as BTS sings in “Life Goes On,” we can close our eyes and fly to a future we can look forward to. No matter how different our struggles and ideal scenarios may be, the Broadway crossover “Found/Tonight” wraps up the playlist as a testament to our mantra here at Calm Collective: that our individual stories form part of a community narrative that we write and share with each other.
Music has always been my go-to love language, and I hope you draw inspiration from these songs. Until the next mixtape, take courage and stay calm.