Opinion: A Playlist to Break the Stigma

September is suicide prevention month. This year more than ever, along with COVID-19 and the fall tending to start sessional depression, additional tools might be needed to combat depression. 

Music has been correlated with helping boost your mood, whether it’s playing it or just listening to it. Music has also been correlated with easing anxiety. Listening to music is able to change the alpha waves in your brain, making the body feel more relaxed. 

The intention of this playlist is to reach out to those who are struggling and need something extra to put into their mental toolboxes to help them when they need it. 

1-800-273-8255 by Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid

Logic, himself, has faced a lot of mental health issues in the past, and, in writing “1-800-273-8255,” he wanted to create a song that would impact his audience. 

The song’s title is the most significant part of the entire song. 1-800-273-8255 is not only the song’s title, but also is the number for the national suicide hotline. 

In “1-800-273-8255”, Logic takes listeners through the thought process of someone who has called the suicide hotline to get help. The song shows both the perspective of the person who called the hotline and the person who received the call. 

Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne starts off the single “Keep Holding On,” by letting the listener know that they aren’t alone. 

Even though she can’t physically be there for her audience, she’s there through her music. The phrases, “You know I’ll take your hand when it gets cold,” and “Just stay strong ‘cause you know I’m here for you,” brings messages of solidarity and support to the forefront of the long.

Lavigne also extends her support to  the listener and their journey by saying, “‘Cause you know we’ll make it through,” as a way to say she will be there throughout the listener’s journey through her music. 

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

Journey starts off “Don’t Stop Believin’”  by making the listener feel like it could be anyone in the lyrics. No names are given for the boy and girl in the song’s narrative, and with the setting being on a train going anywhere, the listener can identify to the theme of needing an escape. 

The line, “Don’t stop believin’, hold onto that feeling. Streetlight people, hold onto that feeling,” has been speculated to mean don’t give up even when hope feels lost. 

GIRL by Maren Morris

In “GIRL,”  Maren Morri, kicks off the pre-chorus by telling the listener that whatever they’re feeling is natural. 

Morris’ lyrics can be understood as an approach to tell her audience that it’s okay to have those low moments in life. Those moments are what make people human and who they are. Those moments don’t last forever, either.

The lyrics of this piece also switch points of view from first to second, which is something people do as they think to themselves. When giving mental pep talks, the brain switches into second person. 

Head Above Water by Avril Lavigne

Lavigne comes at it again with “Head Above Water” after taking a step back from her music due to battling Lyme Disease. 

Due to her battle with Lyme Disease, Lavigne was near death, something she refers to in “Head Above Water,” with the line, “My life is what I’m fighting for.”

The lyrics of this song are her thoughts while battling to save her life, which are similar to someone who is battling depression and suicidal thoughts. 

Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara

The main message of “Scars To Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara is that people are beautiful the way they are, and if the world does not see it that way, then the world needs to change. A message emphasized in the line, “You don’t have to change a thing, the world can change its heart.”

Cara shares the message that the most important person to accept is him, herself, or their self. 

At the age of twenty, Cara was inspired to write this song by her own struggles with hair loss, something she started struggling from elementary school up until the present day. In support of the message in her song, Cara pledged to be make-up free during performances and interviews related to this song.

Resources

If you or anyone you know is struggling please reach out:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1(800) 273-8255 (https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org)
• Mental Health Association in Michigan: (248) 647-1711
• Summit Point – 24 Hour Crisis: 1(800) 632-5449
• Summit Point Youth Mobile Crisis Team: (269) 441-5945
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 74174
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1(800)656-4773
• National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1(800)799-7233