Love those lyrics.
@Sans911 @Queenie @Former-Member @outlander What do you think?
I am in a grumbly Leonard Cohen mood today.
30 SONGS TO HELP ANXIOUS PEOPLE SLEEP AT NIGHT
Nighttime has always been the most difficult for me. The āoutsideā world often serves as a great distraction from the internal battles I face during the day. But when I get home at night, the thoughts Iāve spent all day pushing to the wayside hit me like a freight train and semi-truck colliding ā and Iām right there in the middle. My depression leaves me wondering what all of this is for while my anxiety causes my thoughts to spin endlessly. Meanwhile, all I want to do is rest.
So I put in my headphones to escape it all, if only for three minutes.
Music can be an incredibly effective coping mechanism. That is why we asked people in The Mightyās mental health community who struggle with anxiety and depression to share a song that has helped them through the night. Because sometimes the only place to escape from the outside world, the inside world or the darkness of the night, are melodies and lyrics.
Here is what they had to say:
1. āGuns for Handsā by Twenty One Pilots
āItās a very personal song about depression and suicidal thoughts. Itās message is acceptance from others and learning to overcome it; turn your gun into a fist.ā ā Ash
2. ā21 Gunsā by Green Day
āIn the months leading up to my hospitalization for suicidal thoughts and actions back in late 2009 and 2010, I would listen to it on repeat to fall asleep because the juxtaposition of soft and loud worked perfectly to calm me down but also validate the way I was feeling and how it sounded inside my head.ā ā M
3. āPrayingā by Kesha
āIt has brought me peace of mind and soul no matter the time of day. Every time I listen to it I feel like I am in control of my existence and I am worthy, which is one of the hardest things to accept when you are in that dark place. I let the tears flow and I am safe inside myself again.ā ā Bec
4. āSkyscraperā by Demi Lovato
āIt really speaks to me and comforts me on those types of nights. The song is just so powerful and it gives me hope.ā ā Sha
5. āLet There Be Lightā by Masketta Fall
āIt has kept me going through rough times, it has a message that basically says no matter how hard it is, keep going, it gets better.ā ā T
6. āThe Night We Metā by Lord Huron.
āIt just reminds me of good times and good feelings, like Iām floating in space or under a thousand stars. I feel ānot in this worldā and just in a place where I feel only the good. Not this chaos in my head, but where there is another place I feel doesnāt exist.ā ā G.J.
7. āWonderwallā by Oasis
āAs someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, itās hard to get through a day, let alone a night. But one night, my husband sang it to me and told me when Iām feeling down to listen to it. Itās very calming. He said it will be like heās there being my rock.ā ā L
8. āBreaking the Habitā by Linkin Park
āThere are many habits associated with anxiety and depression and this song helps me scream out the words to break mine and tear my demons down. ā ā S
9. āDemonsā by Imagine Dragons
āThe lyrics relate to how I feel with my own anxiety and depression as well as how I want to help my children to relate to theirs. ā āYour eyes, they shine so bright / I wanna save that light / I canāt escape this now / Unless you show me howā ā To me, it says I want to help you and in turn you end up helping me.ā ā M
10. āOn My Ownā by The Used
āIt brought me down to earth and made me rethink a lot about what I was going to when I was younger. Sad song, but brings me back down. Everyone struggles and Iām not the only one. There is always a way to get help.ā ā S
11. āBreakdownā by Jack Johnson
āAside from being very upbeat, this song reminds me to let go of the unnecessary stress in my life. Even if itās for just a moment. Life can spin out of control in an instant and sometimes, the only thing you can do is breakdown. It reminds me that even when I do breakdown, theres so much beauty around. Look deeper into the tiniest of things and you will find great beauty! Sometimes, a breakdown is necessary to be able to carry on.ā- D
12. āHow Far Iāll Goā by Alessia Cara, from āMoanaā
āIt sounds silly because itās a Disney song, but it just reminds me how much more there is out there and my life doesnāt have to be ruled by my mental health.ā -M
13. āSuperheroesā by The Script
āThe first time I heard this song was when I was harming myself. I had my headphones in and this song came on in the middle of it. I stopped, listened to the lyrics and cried. It changed my life and I now have the lyrics from the chorus tattooed over my self-harm scars on my arm.ā ā J
14. āSleepwalkingā by Bring Me The Horizon
āActually all of their songs and Marilyn Mansonās songs. When my anxiety was at its worst, I felt grey; the world was a monstrous grey mess. I was afraid, I wanted to scream. And then their music happened. In the violence of the songs, in their power, in all the emotion, I felt whole again. I wasnāt the only one screaming. I wasnāt the only one suffering. I was not alone.ā ā G
15. āUnder the Bridgeā by Red Hot Chili Peppers
āI just love the feeling that this song gives me and just singing to it. It really relieves my anxiety. Many Red Hot Chili Peppers songs help me tremendously.ā ā RJ.
16. āPeace Pieceā by Bill Evans
āBill Evans is my favorite jazz pianist and I have taken much strength and support from his song āPeace Piece.ā If serenity has a soundtrack, this is it.ā ā M
17. āBreathe Meā by Sia
ā[It] embodies feelings of loneliness, anxiety, tortured thoughts, depression, relapse; being overwhelmed by your own inner demons and pain, having a breakdown and feeling suicidal, begging for help and hoping someone with listen.ā ā R
18. āEye of the Stormā by Ryan Stevenson
āIt came to me when I was driving home (literally in the rain) having a panic attack, scared I wouldnāt make it home. That song came on and instantly I felt the Lordās presence in my car and I knew Iād make it safely home.ā ā T
19. āTryā by Colbie Caillat
āIt helps bring me back into realizing that I donāt have to be perfect to be beautiful. This song helped me out a lotā¦ It helps control the thoughts in my head saying, āYouāre too fat. No one likes you. You never do anything right. Youāre ugly. You only look good with a bunch of makeup on.ā Colbie has some amazing songs that seem to help with depression and anxiety.ā ā S
20. āDays Like Thisā by Van Morrison
āIt tells my brain that days like this happen and they will pass. Sometimes itās a real struggle and other means are necessary to cope, but sometime this song can lift the darkening veil over my mind.ā ā S
21. āWhyā by Rascal Flatts
āIt hits home for me because I struggle with depression/anxiety and have attempted suicide before. This song just makes me feel better and important. The words honestly speak for themselves. This song has kept me safe and from hurting myself.ā ā S
22. āOh My Soulā by Casting Crowns
āWhen my depression or anxiety gets really bad I used to ride it out alone and in the dark. I know thatās not healthy, but I didnāt want to burden my family. I got to the point where I couldnāt function and I wanted nothing more then to be done with everything ā with the anxiety and the pain, but especially with life. This song helped me realize one more day was all I needed over and over no matter how many times it was needed. I just needed to get through this one day at a time and that I was not alone.ā ā M
23. āLet Goā by Frou Frou
āI first heard this song while watching one of my favorite movies, āGarden State,ā which also helped me through my anxiety and depression at the time. Some of the lyrics include, āThereās beauty in the breakdown,ā and that really resonated with me and helped me to start looking for the potential for growth in my depression and anxiety. The song is so calming and just amazing for a million reasons.ā ā R
24. āBeautiful Thingā by Grace Vanderwaal
āItās a song she wrote for her sister and how she is her other half and wouldnāt be here without her. It has helped me realize I have so many people that feel that way about me, or I feel about them.ā ā B
25. āThe Lonelyā by Christina Perri
āThis has been my go-to song for years, and especially this past year. I find myself laying in bed, crying and contemplating whether to continue to fight or not. Iāll listen to this song on repeat and just get out of that dark emotional state. This song speaks to depression perfectly, at least how I see it and live it every single day.ā ā S
26. āAnemoneā by Joywave
āI was struggling for a long time and this song specifically helped my to claw myself back from a difficult place in my mind. The tune is very calming, which is the first thing I latched onto. The more I listened to it, the more I realized the lyrics were resonating with me as well. They can seem a little convoluted, but it felt to me as though each line was expressing a different emotion. It cycles from a suffocating, inescapable anxiety into a warm and comforting embrace, ending with the line, āIāve never felt alive in company,ā which is relatable for me.ā ā W
27. āAll That You Areā by the Goo Goo Dolls
āItās on the soundtrack for āTransformers Dark of the Moonā and isnāt very well known, but the lyrics resonate with me. I actually got a tattoo of some of the lyrics that reads, āIām so wrong; I feel human and flawed. Iāll break down even though Iām still strong.ā It reminds me every day that even though there are times when I break, Iām still strong. I also love their song āIrisā and that helps me as well.ā ā C
28. āGratefulā by Rita Ora
āThe song really puts into perspective how much Iāve been through to get to where I am currently. It reminds me to be grateful for all the bad as well as the good. And thatās something I need a constant reminder of ā that I wouldnāt be the person I am today without my anxiety and depression.ā ā T
29. āReflectionā by Tool
ā[It] has always helped me. The lyrics actually reflect my experience coming out of depressive episodes; it is at first a song about despair, but it becomes a spiritual awakening. I could only hope everyone comes out strong and awakened like that.ā ā J
30. āUs Against the Worldā by Coldplay
āI feel as though the song takes me away from my situation and just gives me a break from all the negative thoughts and stress and just gives me a little bit of a breather. No matter what time it was, when I needed a break, I hit play and it just takes me to what feels like another world.ā ā M
What would you add?
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.