In last week’s post “3 Ways to Become The Driver of Your Own Thoughts,” I offered three approaches to intentionally invite our minds to give us better/more helpful thoughts. But as I re-read the post, I realized there is so much more to the third approach, “orienting,” that I couldn’t possibly fit into a single post. So today, I’m so excited to cover one method of orienting ourselves towards better thoughts: finding your anthem(s).

Music is a Great Way to Train Your Brain

Like I wrote last week, “any kind of information we take in (including TV, books, podcasts, music, social media, advertising, pop culture, etc.) contributes to the way our mind processes our reality. Therefore, everything we consume shapes the way we interpret our own circumstances.  

So if we want our minds to support us rather than tear us down, then we’ll benefit from doing, reading, watching, and listening to content that is uplifting and empowering.”

That being said, I personally believe that the most fun and energizing way to invite our minds to give us better thoughts is to find songs that promote the kind of positive messages that hype us up… the messages that help us grab our circumstances by the horns and show em who’s boss. 

Let’s find your anthem.

An anthem is defined as “a rousing or uplifting song.” To me, this means any song that reliably lifts you up when you’re feeling down. Having your own anthem in your back pocket is a wonderful thing to turn to when you notice your thoughts or fears spiraling and repeating stories that do not serve you.

Can you think of any song that has made you feel good, powerful, or at least a little bit more confident? 

What about a song that helped you get through a hard time? 

Or a song that gave you direction when you felt lost? Hurt? Scared?

If something came to mind, take a moment to queue that song up so you can listen to it when you’re done reading this post. 

Personally, I keep a whole playlist of anthems.

Each of the songs tend to do one of the following: reconnect me with my values, boost my confidence, encourage self-worth, help me feel more capable, make me feel energized, get me into the present moment, or shift my perspective towards resilience in the face of setbacks. 

Here are a few of my anthems: 

Spotlight by Patrick Stump

One Foot by Walk the Moon

Hard Times by Paramore

SUPERBLOOM by Misterwives

Lonely Dance by Set it Off

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton

Here are some of my friends’ and family members’ anthems (All different genres):

10/10 by Rex Orange County

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

Little Lighter by Ripe

Stone Blue by Foghat

Take Up Space Sis by Toni Jones

Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen

Bats in the Belfry by Qveen Herby

Dancing Queen by ABBA

And last but not least,

All Star by Smash Mouth.

Is it a coincidence that a number of the songs and artists who hype people up use the word “Queen”? I think not!

Once you’ve found an anthem or songs that work for you, work them into your life.

Play your list in the morning. Put it on when you’re doing chores. Let it set the tone for when you’re about to meet new people or do something new or challenging. 

When you listen to it, make a note of how this song makes you feel sensationally. You’ll know that you’ve got good material for an anthem if the song literally hits you in the body in a good way.

And if you’re able to feel it, then you can trust that your intentional effort is firing new synapses in your brain, and therefore is easing your mind’s path to better thoughts. 

Once you’ve found something that works for you, don’t just play it once, make a habit of listening and jamming to this and other things that bring you that good energy when you need it most. And the more you do, the more you’ll find your mind to be an inhabitable place.

Now go ahead and play that song.

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What’s your anthem? Leave a comment or send me a message to share your thoughts.

For more uplifting content, check out some other posts on my blog, follow me on instagram @morgan_barbret, or sign up for the Self Love Atlas Newsletter!

Cheers, 

Morgan Rita Barbret