I love music don’t you? We won’t all love the same songs or tunes of course, but all of us do have favourites – I have never met anyone who didn’t like any music at all. Music evokes fond memories, makes us smile, moves our hearts, and feeds our soul – so why don’t we use that music to make us feel good ore often?

When I was a small child, the music played in our home was either on the gramophone (the old record players that were a major piece of furniture, for those of you too young to remember!) or on the radio. It was not for background filler, we actively listened to it. And it was a source of great delight when I got a red Dansette record player that would take 6 singles at once and play them automatically – the next stage in the evolution of record players. Because a new record was a special treat, we listened to it avidly, over and over again, until it was part of the fabric of our being.

Then, as a teenager, I discovered live music. In those days, a tour wasn’t one main act and a supporting act. It was a whole plethora of bands and singers, each doing maybe 15 minutes of their particular music. Despite the often poor sound quality, we had the excitement of actually seeing the performers, and the atmosphere created by a whole bunch of fans watching their favourite bands and singers. I was well and truly hooked!

Only later in life did I begin to wonder what made music, especially live music, so compelling. At the time, I just knew that the experience transported me, took me out of my self-conscious teenage self, and allowed me to feel joyous and free of the constraints of everyday life.

Now I realise that music we love reaches straight into our hearts, bypassing our judging heads: we only get caught in our heads if we don’t like what we hear. This has to be good for us – we spend far too much time in our heads rather than our hearts. It also affects our emotions directly – music can make us feel calm, joyous, uplifted, happy, energised – wow! What else has such a direct effect on our mood?

When I first got hooked on music, it was only available in a limited way. Nowadays we can easily listen to almost anything we can think of, and we can all watch live music on U-tube even if we don’t go to concerts (although I would still recommend the live performance if you can get there).

So why do we deprive ourselves of this instant treat? It feeds our soul, it allows us to choose how we feel, it enlivens us, and it’s easily accessible – so what’s stopping us? Only our silly heads that tell us it’s not the right time, or we don’t deserve that treat. It’s nonsense!

This isn’t s step-by step reminder to look after ourselves in this way. It’s a one-stop decision. You deserve to listen to some music you love at least once a day: do it today, and tomorrow, and the next day. Stop listening to the news – that doesn’t make you feel good! Pull out that favourite music and feed your soul!