My Mental Health Playlist

by Brittany Plothow

As I’ve openly discussed in past articles here at Bystander, I make no hiding my struggles with mental health, namely depression and anxiety. I have used meds on and off in order to handle my mental health, but what I find most helpful is a strong self-care routine. Carving out time to do things that make me feel happy and bring me some peace is probably the most helpful thing I can do for my brain and my heart. Music is a big part of that; listening through my earbuds as I walk through Portland, playing LPs in the morning while doing yoga and stretching my body with my partner, or playing Spotify while doing everyday chores. The power of music is undeniable and has been scientifically studied; while I’m no scientist here is my list of mental health music:

• Hold On--Alabama Shakes
• This one even has my name in it, so it’s meant to be!
• Shower the People--James Taylor
• Full of good advice and a feel-gooder
• Someone to Love You--Joy Williams
• There’s also a great version by the songwriter and my casual Twitter bud, Matt Morris.
• America’s Sweetheart--Elle King
• I like to imagine myself a badass while I listen to Elle King.
• Love Myself--Hailee Steinfeld
• If you listen hard, this song is technically about self-pleasure, yet I like it as a self-acceptance anthem.
• Lay It All On Me--Rudimental Ft. Ed Sheeran
• A good reminder that having someone we can lean on during hard time is an important mental health tool.
• Heart’s Content--Brandi Carlisle
• This song has always calmed my heart a bit. I’m not entirely sure why.
• By The Grace of God--Katy Perry
• Here Katy talks about her own struggles with suicidal thoughts, something that has helped me feel less alone. If Katy feels hopeless, I’m not the only one.
• Clean--Taylor Swift
• While it can be argued that it’s a Swiftie song, so it can’t be deep, I beg to differ. This song hit me in the heart hard when I first heard it. Taylor knows the struggle.
• Sober--Kelly Clarkson
• Oh, my heart. Oh...my heart. This song. “Picked all my weeds but kept the flowers” is a line that repeats in my mind almost daily.
• In Repair--John Mayer
• It’s clear John has struggled with mental health and the feeling that one day things will be better.
• Warrior--Demi Lovato
• Demi released this song during her struggles with mental health and addiction. It’s a good reminder that we are tougher than we think.
• Whole Wide World--Mindy Gledhill
• This also counts as a Girl Power song.
• Undercover--HiveRiot
• A good reminder that we don’t have to hide who we are, let your flag fly!!

Put in your earbuds, turn up the volume, and let the music feed your mind. We are struggle and these songs can be your companion on the journey!