Digital Smarts - Do You or Your Kids Have a Mental Health Playlist?

Many of us look to find things that will help us find our happy place, and music streaming service Spotify announced recently that many people are using their service to do just that, by creating their own mental health playlist. Spotify has seen a 57% increase in streams related to “mindfulness,” “calm” and “self-care” since last year. Podcasts related to self-help and self-care also saw a dramatic bump on the platform, with a whopping 122-percent increase in streams. 

Of course, what exactly constitutes a “mental health playlist” is slightly less clear. Every mind is different — both when it comes to personal taste and actual brain chemistry — and what one person finds relaxing another may find to be grating. Some people may turn to guided meditation to unwind, while others may gravitate toward a playlist of soothing new-age ones from the likes of Enya and Yanni. Maybe ambient instrumentals are what get you feeling Zen, while death metal might feel like a cathartic release to someone else. Still, having a mental health playlist is one way your digital devices could add calm to your life.