Music

        When you are feeling lonely, depressed, anxious, or angry, listening to music can provide a soothing remedy for your negative emotions.  Many people enjoy listening to their favorite songs to relieve their tensions and completely turn their mood around. For example, soothing music is known to calm fetuses and help them sleep. Throughout history, people have believed that music has healing capabilities. This notion had even been addressed in the writings of famous Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato.

    There has even been evidence that music can actually heal the brain! When treating patients in the Bronx immobilized by brain disease, British neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks discovered that music helped them to move when even medicine could not. Sacks stated that those patients were "absolutely unable to take a step or initiate any movement or speech unless there was music." This stunning discovery by Dr. Sacks underscores the value of music therapy, the use of music to help improve the health of ill patients. (click here to read more)

    The next time you are physically, mentally, or emotionally worn down, try listening to your favorite songs. Like Dr. Sacks' patients, you will likely feel a resurgence in energy and a recovery of your body, mind, and spirit.

Get Back Up feat. Chris Brown
T.I.

Rapper T.I. was widely regarded in the hip-hop community as a premier talent. However, numerous felonies have derailed T.I.'s career. In 2009, T.I. was sentenced to one year in prison for federal weapons charges, and in 2010, was sentenced to 11 months for drug charges. His latest album, No Mercy, portrays his frustration at his repeated jailing. T.I. was also featured in a reality TV show, T.I.'s Road To Redemption, in which he shares the mistakes of his past and the lessons he has learned with teenagers across the US.
The song Get Back Up is an inspirational song based upon the recovery of T.I.'s career. In the chorus, he repeatedly says, "And when they push you down, you got to get back up." The song can be summarized by the one line, "never mind my imperfections this is fact, remember that no mistakes too great to recover and bounce back."

You've Got a Friend in Me
Randy Newman

This well-known song is from the classic Disney movie Toy Story. Randy Newman sings that "there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. We stick together and see it through." Good friends always find a way to support each other during difficult times. Receiving support from a close friend is one of the best ways to recover from the negative events of life.

If this is Goodbye
Lifehouse

"If you and I are going under, maybe we can both recover, and find forgiveness for each other, even if this is goodbye." In this song by Lifehouse, the speaker is trying to make amends in a relationship with a special person, even though the situation is not smooth. Instead of leaving each other on poor terms, the speaker wishes for them to "find forgiveness for each other."

Not Afraid
Eminem

Eminem has been a very successful rapper over the past decade, but was a victim of an addiction for painkillers. At the height of his addiction, he was taking as many
as 20 pills a day. In 2005, he retired from the music industry for rehabilitation.
However, Eminem once again fell into a relapse and resumed taking painkillers. He checked into rehab after an overdose on medication, claiming that he was just a few hours from death. Eminem turned back to rapping so it would give him the same high that drugs once did. After un-retiring from the music industry, Eminem released the album Recovery that describes his recovery from drug addiction. This song, Not Afraid, is a hit single from this album. Eminem’s recovery from drug addiction has turned him into a completely new man, as you can hear in his music. He is no longer an obscene rapper that raps about killing people, but instead provides his listeners with moral support in his songs.

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - "Morning"
Edvard Grieg

This song by the composer Edvard Grieg depicts the "morning mood" during a sunrise. The gentle melodies of the flutes provide a soothing and relaxing effect for listeners. Like a sunrise, listening to peaceful songs such as this can renew the mind and the spirit. The next time you are feeling stressed or upset, try listening to this song to alleviate your mood.

Here Come the Sun
The Beatles

This is one of the most popular songs of the legendary rock band, the Beatles. This harmonious tune creates a sense of optimism and cheerfulness as the band sings "sun, sun, sun, here it comes." The Beatles also sing "here comes the sun, and I say, it's alright." Despite the difficulties that you may have experienced in the past, the future is still bright and holds many new opportunities.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Daft Punk

Harder, Better Faster, Stronger is a techno song by the French duo Daft Punk. Not only does it have a catchy beat, its lyrics motivate people to "work it harder make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger." Whether you are pushing yourself to the limit in the gym or studying for a good grade in school, it is clear that working through tough times is necessary to achieve success. By recovering your physical, mental, and emotional strength on a constant basis during the training process, you will become a stronger and more accomplished person in the end.

When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade
The Boy Least Likely To

The famous quote that is the title of this children's song teaches us to make the most of unfortunate situations by looking at its positive aspects. When faced with the "lemons" of life, such as a failed test, a breakup of a relationship, or a defeat in a sports game, it is important to recover a healthy mindset of positivity and optimism.

Cry No More
Chris Brown

On February 8, 2009, the talented R&B singer Chris Brown was arrested for beating his girlfriend, fellow singer Rihanna. This infamous domestic violence case corrupted Chris Brown's previously squeaky-clean reputation and set back the musical careers of both artists. The couple broke up but they both managed to gradually recover from the emotional trauma of the incident. However, it heavily impacted their music over the next years. In this song, Chris Brown offers a sincere apology to Rihanna. He also sings, "even when it's sunny outside it still feels like it's raining." Although the rest of the world had moved past this incident, Chris is still scarred with the consequences of losing his girlfriend.

Life Goes On
2pac

In this heart-warming rap song by the legendary Tupac Shakur, he pays tribute to his friends that were killed by gang violence. 2pac says, "see we both gotta die but ya chose to go before me, and brothas miss ya while your gone. You
left your homie on his own. How long we mourn, life goes on." Although 2pac misses his friends, he understands that he must move past their unfortunate deaths and move on with his own life. "I'm drinkin' Hennessy while tryin' ta make it last. I drank a 5th and shed a tear when you passed...cause life goes on." Even the great 2pac had to resort to drinking alcohol to ease the pain of death. Recovering from death is a lengthy process and is no easy process.

Sources:

Music

Get Back Up feat. Chris Brown T.I.

You've Got a Friend in MeRandy Newman

If this is Goodbye Lifehouse

Not AfraidEminem

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - "Morning"Edvard Grieg

Here Come the SunThe Beatles

Harder, Better, Faster, StrongerDaft Punk

When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make LemonadeThe Boy Least Likely To

Cry No MoreChris Brown

Life Goes On2pac