{"id":4512,"date":"2020-05-05T09:44:19","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T08:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/cmat\/?p=244"},"modified":"2021-04-26T15:55:21","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T14:55:21","slug":"improve-your-wellbeing-with-music-during-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/2020\/05\/05\/improve-your-wellbeing-with-music-during-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve your wellbeing with music during lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Ruth Herbert, a music psychology expert and director of research at CMAT, provides her advice on how music can help improve your wellbeing during the COVID-19 lockdown.<\/p>\n

\u2018Over just a few weeks COVID-19 has had a\u00a0profound impact\u00a0upon the way we\u2019re able to\u00a0live our lives. One of the most frustrating and anxiety-provoking features is the\u00a0restriction\u00a0of previously taken for granted civil liberties \u2013 from being able to\u00a0travel freely\u00a0(in the UK and abroad), to\u00a0meeting friends\u00a0for a drink, attending\u00a0public events\u00a0(concerts or the theatre) or simply going to the\u00a0gym. Free choice \u2013 at least for now \u2013 seems a distant dream, with\u00a0implications\u00a0for our\u00a0personal wellbeing. In uncertain times,\u00a0music\u00a0provides a\u00a0powerful tool\u00a0for temporarily\u00a0escaping lockdown, providing psychological and physiological\u00a0support, giving us back a\u00a0sense of control.\u2019<\/p>\n

Ruth\u2019s top five tips\u00a0are:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Experiment\u00a0with including your\u00a0favourite music\u00a0(or tracks from online playlists) as part of a\u00a0relaxation\u00a0or\u00a0meditation\u00a0routine, or simply to provide a\u00a0space to cut off\u00a0and just \u2018be\u2019. Listening to\u00a0slow, quiet music\u00a0with a low\u00a0rate of change\u00a0can increase activity of the\u00a0parasympathetic nervous system,\u00a0slowing heart rate\u00a0and inducing a\u00a0state of calmness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Bypass travel restrictions\u00a0and engage in some\u00a0virtual journeying, courtesy of your\u00a0music collection\u00a0and\u00a0imagination\u00a0(no screen-time required). Music provides a\u00a0powerful anchor\u00a0to associations and memories, including\u00a0vivid recollection\u00a0of\u00a0specific places\u00a0and\u00a0positive events.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Use music to\u00a0pace the day, structuring\u00a0daily routines, providing\u00a0motivation\u00a0to complete\u00a0mundane tasks\u00a0and energising\u00a0cardio workouts, whether a private aerobics session or a 5K run. Cross-culturally, humans demonstrate the capacity to\u00a0move to rhythmic sounds\u00a0and music can replace one perceived time frame with another.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Escape isolation, get\u00a0social\u00a0and\u00a0connect\u00a0with others through some\u00a0virtual music-making. Social media channels offer an expanding range of\u00a0virtual ensemble opportunities, including the University of Kent\u2019s own\u00a0Virtual Music Project<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Take up an\u00a0instrument\u00a0you\u2019ve always been meaning\u00a0to learn, or\u00a0rediscover\u00a0an instrument you used to play. There\u2019s a wealth of\u00a0online tuition resources\u00a0available for\u00a0self-study, plus many\u00a0top-rated musicians\u00a0are currently\u00a0offering remote lessons. A regular focus on developing a\u00a0new skill\u00a0can provide a space for\u00a0mental freedom\u00a0where worries and concerns are temporarily set aside.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            This article originally appeared on the Kent News Centre:
            \n            https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/news\/covid19\/25282\/expert-advice-escaping-lockdown-with-music<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Dr Ruth Herbert, a music psychology expert and director of research at CMAT, provides her advice on how music can help improve your wellbeing during … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74034,"featured_media":4585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[124,23163],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74034"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4532,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512\/revisions\/4532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/arts-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}