Mind your mind with music

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace

Every December, in the days leading up to Christmas, caroling groups across the world diligently and joyfully rehearse this beautiful carol among other heartwarming ones. While it undoubtedly evokes emotions of joy, peace, calmness, and hope in listeners, what does it do for the singers? Well, the same things and more — simply put, singing can do wonders for your mental health!

“Music stimulates and activates the cognition, motor, and speech centres through your nerves. This helps the human body function well, both physically and mentally,” says Dr Goutami Madiraju, MBBS, DPM, PGDPC senior consultant psychiatrist at Renova Century Hospitals.

The benefits of singing are many, according to the psychiatrist. “At a chemical level in the brain, singing decreases stress hormones like cortisol and aids in the release of feel-good hormones like endorphins, oxytocins, and serotonin,” says Dr Goutami. Essentially, music and singing lower stress, enhance well-being, and increase contentment.

Dr Goutami underscores how singing Christmas carols, for instance, increases feelings of self-esteem. “Caroling is a group activity — humans are inherently social beings, so what this does is it makes you have a deep sense of belonging. When the chorus picks up, the pitch, tone, and volume have a positive impact on emotion. It is extremely therapeutic,” she says, adding that those who regularly sing enjoy increased immunity and better sleep.

Ruth, a chartered accountant in the city, says that although she isn’t a great singer, she enjoys singing along with the carolers, “I tend to take immense stress due to the high workload in my profession. I look forward to going to church on Christmas because I know I will come out feeling light and stress-free after singing. In fact, this time, I have even been practising and recording carols in private. I have observed that I am able to work better too.”

But it isn’t just Western Classical music or carols that have such positive effects; Carnatic music and Hindustani Classical music literally calm your nerves. Dr Goutami, who is also a trained Hindustani Classical musician, adds, “Neural research proves that the 72 Melakarta (parent) raagas can positively control 72 nerves in a human body — if rendered perfectly with the right pitch, notation, and time.”

The psychiatrist, who also works with a rehab centre, has administered music therapy with headphones for paralysis, stroke, anxiety, and depression patients. “Along with physiotherapy and other treatments, music therapy improves cognition in patients within six months of having a stroke. For anxiety, graded relaxation therapy is helpful — a calm, soothing, singsong voice uses visual imagery to help relax the patient,” explains Dr Goutami.

Inculcating the habit of singing in young children is important, says the psychiatrist. She adds, “While schools are underscoring the importance of music in their curricula, more parents should encourage their children to sing. As the world gets more competitive and fast-paced by the minute, music is a medium to good mental health for all.”

Music. It is indeed a great outlet to express oneself in unparalleled ways. Feeling angry? Sing. Feeling sad? Sing. Feeling happy? Sing. You do not have to be an Elvis Presley, Mariah Carey, Asha Bhonsle, Shreya Ghoshal, Geetha Madhuri or Mangli — just sing. Well, maybe you can start with ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh…’

— Story by Nitika Krishna