The Best Songs & Music To Listen To When You Have Depression

By The Depression Project

When you have depression, our friend, there are lots of benefits to listening to music, including:

Music can provide comfort during difficult times;
Music can give you a boost of energy;
Music can help you to feel deeper emotions that you may be out of touch with (particularly if you're feeling numb, for example);
Music can help you feel more understood and less isolated and alone;
Music can serve as a positive distraction from the inner turmoil you're going through;
Music can help give you hope, and add a little bit of light to your darkest days.

For this reason, we thought it would be interesting to ask members of The Depression Project's community:

What are your favourite songs / music to listen to when you feel depressed?

And, in this blog post, we'd like to share some of the responses with you :)

The Best Songs & Music To Listen To When You Feel Depressed (As Told To Us By Members Of The Depression Project's Community)

"Pink Floyd’s The Wall album in its entirety."
"Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit get me through when I am depressed. I just legit scream out the lyrics and I am good afterwards. Thanks Chester and Fred."
"Upbeat tracks give me a boost. I like Top Of The World by The Carpenters and Lighthouse Family."
"Mac Miller. NF. Linkin park. Grungy stuff from the 90s. Fleetwood mac. When I’m super down, I also listen to mediation music and deep healing music."
"Classical music on loud using my headphones while lying on the floor."
"Breathe by AJ McLovely was written by her after losing her dad. It is beautiful."
"Eighties music. It was the best music period of my life."
"Walk On - U2, Broken Wings - Mr Mister, These Are The Days Of Our Lives - Queen (which incidentally was the last song they ever recorded before Freddie Mercury passed away)."
"I listen to K-LOVE!"
"Songs by Alphaville, or any eighties upbeat synth track works every time for me."
"Paradoxically, it’s gothic music that really lifts me as I love it’s sombre powerful presence. Happy upbeat songs irritate me."
"I listen to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Godsmack, etcetera ... and Christmas music."
"I might be the sap of the group but I listen to Smith and Myers playing covers."
"P!nk is my guardian angel when it comes to lifting my mood with her voice, songs, lyrics."
"I listen to meditation music. It really helps with my anxiety."
"I listen to Queen. Also, Train's Drops Of Jupiter seems to calm me and make life feel a little bit better."
"The Beatles always lift me up."
"I listen to my teenager time music."
"Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. has gotten me through some bleak times."
"I listen to the likes of Billy Idol, Evenescence Within Temptation, Linkin Park and Red Hot Chili Peppers - depending on how I feel at the time."
"Hillson music is my anti-depression."
"Linkin Park 100%."
"Hello anxiety by Phum Viphurit."
"I like listening to the sounds of nature. Birds softly chirping, water washing up on the beach, the sounds of the rainforest, etcetera. There's lots of this stuff for free on Youtube."
"Almost anything by Prince."
"Worship songs."
"I like listening to the radio."
"I love listening to Roy Orbison's Penny Arcade! It never fails to make me feel better."
"Wilson Phillips - Hold On."
"My stress by NF."
"Blue October."
"Sweet Caroline!"
"Taylor Swift - This is me trying."
"Contemporary Christian music"
"Jimi Hendrix tunes have helped in the past for me."
"Let it Hurt by Rascal Flatts."
"Mozart’s clarinet concerto."
"Anything late 80s or 90s usually picks me up."
"Memories - Neutrin09."
"Queen."
"The Beach Boys are sunshine for the ears."
"Southern Gospel."
"Rock and Roll."
"Coldplay - in particular Scientist."
"Afterhours album by The Weekend."
"Mahler 2nd symphony, final movement."
"Glee - The Quarterback. Helps me to really cry."
"Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Ray."
"Elvis - American Trilogy."
"Any Earth, Wind and Fire!"
"Anything by Ludovico Einaudi."
"Funeral - Phoebe Bridgers."
"NF, Witt Lowry, Sik World, Lewis Capaldi, MGK, Ivan B."
"Hillsong United"
"Johnny Cash"
"Devin Townsend Project."
"Country music."
"Just like you by NF."
"Another love by Tom Odell. Also Flying by."
"Good job - Alicia Keys"
"Look Up - Joy Olsdokun"
"If I died last night - Jessie Murph"
"Nearly Morning by Luke Sital Singh"
"Pearl Jam's Release"
"RM's album Mono"
"Hold on - Alabama Shakes"
"Some days - Brent Morgan"
"Genesis by Grimes"
"September by Sparky"
"One more light - Linkin Park"
"Radiohead - Exit music and How to disappear completely"
"Keep on by Sasha Alex"
"Not the same anymore - Rex Orange County"
"Hold on by Adele"
"Sia - Breathe me"
"Good days - SZA"
"It's OK - Imagine Dragons"
"Skinny love by Bon Iver"
"Falling by Harry Styles"
"Drowning by Backstreet Boys"
"Flowers by Miley Cyrus"
"Summer rain by Whitesnake"
"Breathing by Ariana Grande"
"Too sad to cry by Sasha Alex Sloan"
"Bob Dylan - not dark yet"
"Let it be - The Beatles"
"505 by Arctic Monkeys"
"All my love - Noah Kahan"
"Leave it all behind by Sleeping with Sirens"
"Best of you - Foo Fighters"
"Lovely day - Bill Withers"
"Stay by Rihanna"
"Frontin by Pharell and Jay-Z"
"David Fonseca - You know who I am"
"Million reasons - Lady Gaga"
"Come as you are - Nirvana"
"Celestial - Ed Sheeran"
"Glimpse of us - Joji"
"Sad professor - REM"
"Linkin Park like others have said!"

Of course, some of these song / music suggestions may not appeal to you - but we hope you find at least one or two that do!

All our love,

The Depression Project Team.