Holiday Healing

By: by Tony Falzano
Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Believe it or not, the holidays are almost here. Very shortly, some of us will prepare a list of things so we can get ready for the season. It may look like this…

Christmas cards?

Check!

Hanukkah candles?

Check!

Gifts for children, spouse and parent?

Check, check, check!

Though Hanukkah and Christmas are joyous occasions for most, they can be very anxious, trying times if you are spending your first (or another) holiday without a special loved one. Saddened with loss, you may struggle to participate in the season’s festivities. One way that can help you through this period, or any period for that matter, is music. Like others have done, you can purchase a brand new music CD with the specific intent of listening to it when the season gets too crazy or you are not feeling well. Since music is an important part of the holiday rituals, you can let it be a companion to lift your spirits. Listening to a special CD that offers you comfort, inspiration and motivation when you need it, is truly holiday healing.

The advantage to purchasing a new product as opposed to listening to one you already own is that the music will be unfamiliar to you and thus there won’t exist any personal associations with it. You will be cultivating a new friendship. And the music you buy can be anything you like. There is no ‘right music’. The only criteria is that the music brings pleasure and offers relief when you listen to it.

Music can also be a wonderful gift for someone else: someone who possibly is experiencing grief due to the same loss as you. If there is no ‘check’ next to their name this holiday, why not purchase a music CD for them? Giving the gift of music to a person in need of healing is a sensitive, thoughtful act of compassion. It expresses your genuine concern for the individual and your relationship. It can also be a bond during this life-changing event for you both.

Besides popular artists, there is music specifically for those grieving loss.  Healing music comes in a palette of colorful sounds; everything from vocal selections to recordings that feature a solo instrument such as guitar or piano to albums containing the instruments

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