The Practice-Music prescription for mood-lifting
photo by Patricia Herlevi It happens to all of us. Trying to stay in a good mood and beat the positive drum, and the blues comes seeping through the cracks. Pretty soon, the funk gets deeper and the moods spiral downward. Some people take pills, but for mild to moderate depression, try music instead. Obviously, turning to music with self-defeating lyrics or a vocalist lashing out venom to his or her listeners won't uplift any moods. Sometimes when people feel a funk coming on, they choose music that will only take them deeper into depression. However, working in increments of positivity goes a long way in battling a bad mood. For moderate depression, you need to move to the next level which is anger. For this you might need something along the lines of Beethoven's 5th Symphony or classic American blues (not the self-pitying blues). But you don't want to wallow in anger to then you find music that will take you to the next level. I r...