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TV and radio personality and SANE Board Director Osher Günsberg is a familiar face in the Australian music scene. Last year he shared his experience of living with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.
'Music is an outlet I've used for a lot of my life to get good feelings in or bad feelings out,' he explains. So, how does Osher use music help manage his symptoms of mental illness?
As someone who used to play music all the time in all kinds of bands, music is an outlet I've used for a lot of my life to get good feelings in or bad feelings out. Nothing can give you goosebumps faster than the right lyric with the right chorus - and that can change your whole day.
Sometimes when the anxiety starts piling up on itself, I put on some exceedingly heavy Viking Metal (it's a whole genre to itself) then I get on my bike and smash out super-intense intervals while listening to gallopy songs about rowboats and dragons and swords and things. I always feel better afterwards.
Does dancing on stage with The Flaming Lips count? If so yes.
I can only speak from my experience, but creative people's brains don't stop being creative when they're not creating.
Those brains are constantly looking at the world in different ways and that's what we see and hear in their art. When they're not making art, that creativity keeps going and in my case can find all kinds of creative ways to convince me that the world is ending. It isn't, but my brain is pretty good at coming up with creative ways that it might.
'Never underestimate the therapeutic effect of driving with your windows down and the music up.' - Ann
'Music has helped me through sadness, anxiety, fatigue. It has brought me to tears in recognition and remembrance.' - Robyn
To celebrate the power of music we asked our Facebook community for the songs that get them through the dark days. The response was fantastic and we've created a Spotify playlist featuring more than 10 hours of music!
So what music raises your spirits, brings back happy memories, or carries you through a tough day? Tell us on Facebook and we'll add the best suggestions to Osher's playlist.
* This version of Symphony No.9 is not available on Spotify.
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