Piano As Therapy: Improve Your Mental Health

Using piano as therapy might be the key to improving your mental health – no pun intended.

Mental health has become a big thing in our society today, with the media, government, schools and many more continuously spreading awareness about it.

Did you know that over 284 million people are affected by anxiety alone!

The world health organization states that 15% of working age adults have a mental disorder at any given time. It is a scary thought, but nevertheless hope is not lost.

There are many ways in which one can help improve your mental health.

The one that will be discussed in this article is by playing the piano.

The leading mental health disorders are anxiety and depression, both of which the piano can help fight with.

It is important to look after your mental health, since it affects almost every part of your day to day life.

The Science Behind Playing The Piano

Many studies have shown that playing piano improves mental health.

The science behind this is due to the fact that playing music creates strong brain activity in both hemispheres, showcasing increased brain function.

It also improves cognitive and intellectual abilities such as concentration and memory.

Playing piano also affects your hormones, with research studies showing increased levels for human growth hormone – which slows some effects of aging.

It also releases multiple other hormones which include serotonin, dopamine and endorphins.

Dopamine, more commonly known as the “feel-good” hormone, is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter that sends chemical signals between nerve cells in the brain and body.

It produces feelings of happiness and joy which contributes to helping overall mental health. Serotonin replaces negative emotions with positive ones and endorphins induce feelings of joy and pleasure.

Clearly you are just one key away from feeling happy and improving your mental health.

Did you know that playing the piano can also improve your self-esteem?

By mastering a difficult piece or passage can help you feel good about yourself and increase positive thoughts about yourself.

Self esteem is important to have because it influences your entire life.

How you see and value yourself, your mental well-being and your motivation.

Self esteem can also affect your relationships positively or negatively depending on the view you have on yourself.

Decision-making is another aspect that is influenced by self esteem.

If you have a very low self-esteem you tend to feel less capable which can lead to never taking risks or growing as a person.

Putting Piano Therapy In Practise

The piano makes it possible for emotional expression.

You can play melodies that express emotion whether sadness, joy, anger or whatever.

Has anyone ever told you: “do not let your emotions get all bottled up within you”?

They are not wrong, bottling up your emotions can lead to stress on the body and risk developing mental health disorders.

Although there are things you have to verbally process, using the piano as an emotional outlet is still good for improving overall mental health.

Using the piano as a stress reliever is a great way to help fight anxiety.

Everytime you play the piano, it lowers the cortisol levels – the stress hormone – and in turn reduces stress.

In the UK alone, over 8 million people have an anxiety disorder.

Playing the piano also lowers your blood levels which is another way it reduces stress.

Many people experience feelings of loneliness, thus participating in group lessons can also help reduce those negative feelings.

Here at London Piano Institute one of our piano lessons options are group lessons!

Group lessons are a fun way of meeting new like-minded people. Having friends is good for the soul and can ultimately improve your mental health as well.

Why Choose The Piano?

Using music as therapy in general can be therapeutic, so why use the piano specifically?

Well, a main reason is due to the suitability and accessibility of the piano.

It is easier to start learning the piano than many other instruments which makes it more of a suitable choice for almost everyone. Beginner or advanced.

Another reason for choosing the piano is because it is one of the most popular instruments in this day and age, which means it is highly accessible.

Making it easy to get your hands on the instrument.

The piano is an instrument where both hands can play a melody.

It is uniquely differentiated to other instruments because it can play up to ten notes simultaneously.

Playing with both hands stimulates brain activity which promotes memory.

As discussed earlier in this article, the piano holds a lot of benefits both physically and mentally.

Another reason to choose the piano above all other instruments, is again due to its popularity.

Finding piano teachers is as easy as falling off a log.

Thanks to the popular demand, it is almost effortless searching for a piano teacher to help improve your skill level.

What does a teacher have to do with therapy you might ask?

Well, the more you know and the higher your skill level, the easier it becomes to truly express yourself without getting frustrated at the little you might know.

Conclusion

According to the American Psychological association, it is stated that mental health issues have significantly increased in young adults over just the last ten years!

Various other studies and cases revealed the same thing, stating mental health is only getting worse over time.

This article’s purpose is not to scare you, but rather inform you on the reality we live in and how we can beat the odds.

Playing the piano can help your mental health as proved by numerous researches like the National institutes of health.

Whether you are just having a bad day or are in need of an outlet, the piano is the way to go.

It is therapeutic and the best part, it is free! Never underestimate the power of the piano!