Anna-Catherine Kueng
During the school year, I listen to music constantly. I listen to it while I get ready in the mornings, while I walk to class, while I brush my teeth, and while I do my homework. It is one of the biggest stress relievers in my life and it always improves my mood. Since we are halfway through the semester, now is the time when paper and presentation deadlines are arriving. These are my top songs that get me through stressful times, such as now. I hope you will give a few of them a listen!
- “Way It Goes” by Hippo Campus. It is an upbeat song that encourages listeners to roll with the punches of life. It shows that even though life has disappointments and setbacks, there are still fun and exciting parts to it.
- “13” by U2. This song is slower and has more of a somber feel to it. It is about how even in the dark seasons of life, one should not give up because there is still a light that can be found. My favorite lyrics are “I know the world is done / but you don’t have to be.”
- “Secret for the Mad” by Dodie. My best friend first introduced this song to me during my freshman year of college, and I have been listening to it ever since. Its message is that things will get better even when they feel like they never will.
- “100 Bad Days” by AJR. This is a pop song that has seemingly silly lyrics, but for me, it has a deeper meaning. The chorus says, “Maybe a hundred bad days made a hundred good stories.” The song goes on to show that bad days should not be feared because they teach you valuable lessons and result in memories that can be talked about in the future. I think it is interesting that AJR chose to write a song to bad days.
- “Stay Alive” by Jose Gonzalez. The first time I heard about this was when I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. The lyrics focus on persevering through hard times and knowing you are not alone when things are scary. My favorite part is, “In the morning watch a new day rise / we’ll do whatever just to stay alive.”
- “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. This is a well-known song that I was also introduced to by my best friend. I like to listen to this song because it makes me remember how thankful I am to have certain loved ones in my life and how I would not be the person I am today if it were not for them.
- “Everything Will Be Alright” by The Killers. This song, evident by the title, is saying that everything will be okay for his lover because he is going to visit her no matter what it takes. Being an alternative rock song, it is very calming and I especially like to listen to it while driving.
- “Amazing Day” by Coldplay. This song has a special meaning to me because of memories I associate with it, so I listen to it because it reminds me of happy times from this past summer. The song is about a day where everything is going right in one’s world and he or she loses all track of time because the day is so beautiful. Granted not most days in college are like this, but it reminds me that days like that do exist and will return again eventually.
Happy listening! Feel free to email me what your go-to songs are to de-stress!