How Learning to Play an Instrument Could Boost Your Mental Health hipporeads Ask Me Anything There are many benefits to learning to play a musical instrument. But one of the biggest is the impact that it can have on your mental health. Playing an instrument can boost your mental health in a few different ways. Here’s a look at some of them. A Confidence Boost When you buy Collings electric guitars or other instruments, you start as a beginner. With time and hard work, you progress, learn, and improve. Even if you are never great, and the improvements are only ever small, they will be noticeable, and you will start to feel good about yourself. In adult life, we rarely learn new things or get the chance to enjoy sustained improvement. This can be a huge confidence boost. Time to Do Something You Love In day-to-day life, most of us are very busy. We often juggle various commitments and responsibilities, and we don’t always have time to do things we love. Learning to play an instrument is committing to something for yourself, and having an electric guitar at home means you can quickly pick it up and play something that makes you smile. It can significantly affect your mood, even if it’s just a few minutes. Social Opportunities Learning an instrument gives you a few different ways to meet people. You might learn from a tutor. You could join a band or group. You could play at local events. You might just spend time chatting with other musicians in your local music shop. All of these social opportunities are a way to speak to people, which can be a way to fight loneliness and beat depression. Stress Relief Stress is very common in the modern world, and many of us are looking for ways to beat it. Playing an instrument can be very effective. It gives you time away from your thoughts, a chance to do something for yourself, and it can be excellent escapism. A Creative Outlet In adult life, many of us don’t do anything creative. But creativity can be important. Creative hobbies make us happy, reduce stress, improve our mood, and can even boost our critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Playing an instrument offers you a fantastic creative outlet. Improved Concentration and Memory When we struggle with concentration, focus, and memory, we grow frustrated and annoyed with ourselves, or we start to worry that something is more serious with us. Learning an instrument can be a great way to improve your concentration, focus, and memory. Time for Yourself We all need time to ourselves sometimes. It’s an essential element of self-care and good mental health. Learning to play an instrument can give you this time. Music Can be Very Relaxing Whether we are playing or listening, music can be very soothing and relaxing, which can be great for your mental health. People that play instruments are often happier, more relaxed, and more positive. They can be less likely to struggle with depression and anxiety and more likely to have higher levels of concentration and better memories. Buying and learning to play an instrument can be an excellent investment in your mental health and happiness. Image credit: Kari Shea via Unsplash
