9 articles on music and mental health
Whether it be a cultural belief in the “artistic temperament,” stories of brilliant composers who struggled mentally, or the way classical pianists are portrayed in almost every movie, mental illness has long been considered normal for musician and, in some circles, expected. This unfortunate (and frequently erroneous) stereotype kept many musicians from seeking help for their mental health. Too many of us suffered in silence.
Thankfully the days of not talking about these things have given way to a much more supportive and helpful environment. Millennial and Gen Z musicians are teaching the rest of us to speak more candidly about our own experiences, most visibly the writers of UK blog Things Musicians Don’t Talk About. This new openness shows all of us that we’re not alone and allows us to find the help we need.
A big theme of No Dead Guys has been my exploration of the intersection between music and life. Therefore it’s not surprising that I’ve written about learning to live with failure, avoiding toxic musicians, playing the piano when life is falling apart, processing old trauma, processing grief, as well as sharing resources for those suffering from depression. We bring all that we are to our music. That’s why learning to work with ourselves is vital to our musical journey. If you (or someone you know) is wrestling with mental health issues, maybe one of these articles will provide solace or point you toward helpful resources.
Career Challenges
Beyond Burnout: tips for the classical pianist A profession as demanding and difficult as music lends itself to burnout. In this article I write about my own experience with burnout and offer ideas for working through it.
Why Failure is a Musician’s Best Friend. Fear of failure haunts all of us, yet I’ve found that failures teach me more about myself than successes. This article discusses why this is so.
How to Avoid Toxic People in the Arts: and how not to become one yourself. Music attracts some of the best people and a handful of the worst. All musicians will encounter angry, vindictive individuals at some point in their careers. Here are some ideas on how to handle them.
The Envious Musician. Whether it be our envy or another’s, this tricky emotion is one we don’t like to talk about and find challenging to overcome. Here are some ideas for working through one’s own envy and working around another’s.
Personal Challenges
In the Worst of Times: playing the piano when your life falls apart. Simply put, stuff happens. And when it does, the piano is here to help us manage and process it. This post offers ideas on how to let music nurture us when everything falls apart.
The Body Holds the Memories: pianists and trauma. Regardless of the origin, trauma lives on in the body—even when we’ve removed it from our minds. This gritty article discusses the symptoms of old trauma and offers ideas for working it out of our large muscles.
3 Mental Health Resources for Musicians. During the pandemic when people most needed it, counseling was difficult to obtain. This post, tailored specifically to musicians, offers links to sites where help can be found.
How Music and Beauty Heal in Dark Times. This is a celebration of how we’re nurtured and healed by the everyday beauty that surrounds us.
Nature and the Soundtrack of Real Life. Walking through grief can feel like sleepwalking through life. Drawn from my own experience of mourning the death of my mother, I write about what cracks us open to life and to ourselves when we’re numb from loss.
If you have resources of your own to add to this discussion, please feel free to share them in the comments below. Your experience and suggestions may help the rest of us work through our own challenges.
Photo by Total Shape, courtesy of UpSplash