Is Music Better Than Prozac?

The other day I read an online blog by a young lady that sounded as though she had hit the very bottom. Nothing was going right in her life. She was burdened with guilt, and felt moody, depressed, hopeless, sad, and just plain tired of life.

Her condition was not an uncommon one. Most of the people I know these days seem to be entering into, struggling with, or emerging from a period of depression. Some of the cases we encounter are serious, and the problem cannot be overcome without the help of some type of medical attention and, perhaps, an appropriate medication. Others seem far less debilitating and may yield to lesser types of treatment.

One of the most common, but often overlooked ways to bring us out of a mild depression, a blue funk, or, as many have termed it, a "the blahs," is to expose ourselves to music. Lots of it .

Several years ago, when I felt that life seemed pretty worthless, someone gave me a CD by Cristy Lane called, "One Day At A Time." I played that poor little CD so many times it wore out but, before it did, something happened deep down inside me, and my whole outlook on life improved.

My recovery was not instantaneous but came gradually, just one day at a time, and as I played and re-played that CD, my spirits began to rise. I frequently found myself humming the songs from the CD as I went about my daily chores. One day, I even amazed myself at how happy I felt, and I laughed out loud.

Even now, whenever I have one of those "I can't take another minute of this" days, the title song from the CD, One Day At A Time, pops into my head. And, the truth is that one day really is all we have to face at any given time, and most of us have to admit that we can do that, even if the days beyond today seem too bleak to contemplate at the moment.

Before sharing this, I asked a number of other people if music had ever helped them when they were feeling really "down."

Almost to a person, each answered, "definitely." Some used Elvis; others thought any good rock and roll tape would cure the blues faster than anything else. A few liked gospel, and one even said that there was nothing like a good symphony to lift them out of a rut. I suspect, if I had continued my survey further, that I would have found almost as many different preferences as there are types of music. The point is that music does have real power over our minds.

After benefiting so much from Cristy Lane's, "One Day At A Time," CD, I was almost tempted to pick up the phone to let her know how much her music had meant to me, but decided that might be a little much, so I did the next best thing. I bought her autobiography, by the same name, and read it from cover to cover. Guess what, this lady has faced a lot of the same problems the rest of us have faced, and, in some cases, even more, and her music has always come through for her. I admire the lady very much, and will always be grateful for that CD.

If you are in one of those, "Life sucks, and I wish I were dead," periods of your life right now, before you rush out to get a prescription for Prozac, consider the healing power of music. If not Cristy Lane, then try another uplifting artist. Get a CD and play the music over and over until it becomes a part of who you are. Don't be afraid to sing along, or even dance if the notion strikes your fancy. When you come to the end of your tape, play it over again, and again until you know it by heart. Then, it won't only help you while the music is audible, but you will find it playing over and over in your mind.

Try gospel from Elvis, or the Cristy Lane CD I mentioned in the blog entry above:

OR, if Michael Jackson is more your type check out Thriller, probably his all-time best, or some of the greatest hits by the ever-popular Eagles.