Music can be a life buoy in a busy everyday life

Elinor Ingvar-Henschen is a music therapist attached to BUP's 24-hour care, where she works with young people suffering from, among other things, eating disorders and self-harm behaviour.

Elinor Ingvar-Henschen clearly notes that patients feel comfortable singing and listening to music – and even creating their own music.

– With a little guidance, they can achieve visible relaxation as well, which is noticed by their relatives as well.

So what makes us feel happy in music, song and dance? Anita Jensen, a culture and health strategist in primary care in Scone, works to prove in her research that we feel better by participating in cultural activities.

– Music can help produce dopamine, which plays a crucial role in motivating all positively motivated actions associated with feelings of well-being. Music also affects the limbic system, through the sense of hearing. The limbic system, in turn, is linked to our ability to experience and process emotions as well as learning, our ability to form memories, and our motivations. Anita Jensen says.

She is investigating the concept of culture by prescription, whereby patients with mental illness can attend two cultural activities per week for ten weeks. When patients are examined after this period, a significant improvement in their health is noted compared to how they felt before receiving Kulture by prescription.

Simple tips to relax with music

Elinor Ingvar-Henschen has some simple tips for those who want to use music to relax or manage stress.

Choral singing is well-established in research as bringing health on many levels. Currently, for example, an exciting project on choral singing and aging is being implemented at Linnaeus University. You can join a choir that can sing where it is not so important to get the right tone. There are also many yoga centers that include chanting. It has also been proven in research that singing is beneficial for the heart.

Another tip is to turn off all phones and other distractions and just focus on listening to music for a while.

– You can also set a timer and say to yourself I'm going to do this now for a number of minutes, three minutes, 20 minutes, whatever you think you have time for. You find a routine in just listening to music for a while in the morning or evening. Then you know you have those little moments, little lifebuoys at the beginning and end of the day, says Elinor Ingvar Henschen.

Did you know that…

…On Monday, all primary care patients in Skåne are welcome to join the Wellbeing Choir at Malmö Live. Welcome to the Singing for Wellbeing Choir.

…The second movement in symphonies is often the quietest part of the piece. Music listening services have playlists that contain only other movements. Anyone who doesn't like classical music will of course choose something else.

… On 1177.se you will find many different relaxation exercises. Among other things, you can listen to “The Blue Hour”, perhaps the most relaxing piece of music in the world, created by composer Tobias Broström for UNGA Musik i Syd.

How to get oktobeRo? (1177.se)
Choral Singing and Healthy Aging Project (lnu.se)
Research on whether singing is good for the heart (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)