Music and Pandemic - These tips will help you in hard times

"Give me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Reinhold Niebuhr

For almost two years now, the world has been in a state of emergency. Live music and social gatherings? Suddenly not allowed. Concerts, stage shows, club culture and festivals? I guess we can all only rub our eyes with longing.
What seemed completely natural to us just a few years ago has become partially impossible in a very short time. It's no wonder that this has left its mark on us music creators and consumers. And even if there is light at the end of the tunnel, the future is still unpredictable and the remaining time span back to normality is uncertain.

If you are finding it difficult to stay mentally fit in the face of the ongoing pandemic, this article is for you. You'll find valuable tips that can help you regain courage and confidence and shape your life in a positive and proactive way. Excited? Then let's get started right away.

Tip #1: Find out how you feel and focus on what gives you strength

The first tip is to sort yourself out internally and focus on the things that help you and give you strength. First of all, it can help to develop a concrete understanding of your current situation and your emotional state. What has changed in your life as a result of the pandemic and how are you feeling about it?

An updated understanding of yourself will help you see where you stand. From here, you can figure out what needs and desires you have right now. Maybe you are longing for security, relaxation or appreciation? You may also have completely different things - and that's perfectly fine! See how you can make sure your needs are met.

You may find it helpful to establish regular rituals such as set meal times, morning journaling, and jam sessions if you have a strong need for security, for example. The important thing is to allow yourself to do things that feel good to you and provide you with renewed strength. If you allow yourself to have positive experiences, you will quickly feel more capable and a little better with each passing day.

Tip #2 - Music and Pandemic: Get out of victim mode

As difficult as the circumstances are sometimes - complaining does no one any good, but instead only reinforces your situation. Please don't get me wrong: Of course it's important to have a good cry and find words for the sorrow, fears and anger you carry inside. (More on that in the third tip). But first, let's talk about something else—something more fundamental.
Our own ability to make a positive impact on ending the pandemic is very limited. Even if we act as solidly as possible and show consideration for one another, there is not much more we can do. And yet, one thing is clearly in our own hands: responsibility for shaping our own lives.

Ask yourself what you can do within your possibilities to shape your current life in a meaningful and positive way—despite all circumstances. Perhaps you can even recognize something valuable for you in this particular situation, because you now recognize options for action and perspectives that you did not see before?
You may be able to harness what you are experiencing for your songwriting or complete a musical project that you had never found time for before.

Tip #3 - Give your emotions space

No one should feel that they have to carry negative feelings around with them. Therefore, if you are currently feeling very bad, it is essential that you first find a suitable way to let your emotions out of you. Emotions have to be felt (and not suppressed!) in order to really dissolve. After all, you don't want to carry your suffering around with you permanently. That would only paralyze you and keep you from actually enjoying your life.

Fortunately, there are plenty of suitable methods for letting feelings out of you. Music and pandemic are definitely not mutually exclusive in this case! For example, find an album that matches the current emotion or create such a playlist for yourself. By listening through the corresponding music with full attention (maybe it takes one, maybe several runs), you finally give your emotions the space they demand, allowing them to finally detach from you more and more.

Making your own music, singing or playing laments, dancing wildly, or songwriting can definitely also be appropriate ways to unblock blocking emotions. Once you have sufficiently explored the emotion(s) in question, you will find peace with them and will no longer be "haunted" by them.

Tip #4 - Music and Pandemic: Set Goals

The last tip is actually a logical conclusion of the previous advice: It's about setting goals for yourself that you can implement over the course of the next few days, weeks, or months. Why? By committing yourself to a task, you give yourself the opportunity to learn new things and expand your skills in a meaningful way. Achieving such a goal can be very fulfilling and also help you to sustainably expand your overall design possibilities in relation to your life. After all, the more options you have, the freer you are to shape your life. You can set yourself wonderful musical goals, such as completing a song or learning a singing technique that is still unknown to you, such as belting. Of course, it's up to you to decide what you want to do. The important thing is not to take on too much at once, but to set big goals with intermediate goals and to appreciate small steps. Since there is a lot to keep in mind when setting goals, you will find a detailed step-by-step guide here that you can easily follow.

• Concerts and festivals in a post-Corona future
• Create emotions with music: These tips will help you bring emotions into your songs
• Mastering Tips: Why you should master your music
• 5 tips for dealing with criticism calmly
• Why you shouldn’t compare yourself to others – do your own thing!

Last but not least

If you find it difficult to successfully realize your musical or artistic project, take a look at my free workbook here. It will guide you from the first formulation of your vague idea to the completion of your creative project. If you feel that your problems are a little deeper and you could use some support in the form of coaching, check out my website here. As a creativity coach, I'm happy to help you break down stubborn creative blocks so you can express yourself freely again, with fun and a personal message.

If this article has whetted your appetite for exchanging ideas with other musicians, take a look at mukken.com. Here you'll find other like-minded people from your area with whom you can network and join forces for joint musical projects.