Music is better when you are.

Speaking from experience, music is so much better and more enjoyable when your mental health is better.

I have been really really loving music lately. I mean, I always did, and I didn’t even think it was possible for me to love it more than I already did. But after some months of taking better care of myself physically and mentally, and getting out of something that was hurting me and my ability to care for myself on both of those fronts, I began to notice quite dramatically just how much every type of music I already loved has been even more amazing to me.
I’ve covered a lot of dark, depressive, suicidal shit on here, a lot of which has come from places of genuine suffering of similar magnitude.
While the tortured artist mentality has catalyzed a lot of great music, it is not only not as obligatory for the creation of genuine art as some claim it to be, but feeling like the self-destructive or generally negative mindset of it is a necessary headspace to maintain to enjoy such music is counterproductive because it impedes the very ability to experience enjoyment itself.
And for me, it’s not even about restricting what I listen to, I still listen to Leviathan, Primitive Man, Xasthur, The Body, other DSBM, and plenty of other dark dark stuff, and I enjoy even albums like The Tenth Sub Level of Suicidemore now that I’m taking better care of myself, which is weird to me, and I honestly would have to take an essay to try to explain how that works.
I know this site is full of corny inspirational quotes and just as much self-pity-indulgent content that approaches mental health very poorly, but mental health is still important to address and look after. And while I’m no expert on the matter, I want to at least say that if nothing else is already motivating you to actively nurture your mind back to health, do it for the music you love, because it’s so much better when you’re actually able to experience the full potential of enjoyment it offers.

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