The Philosophy of Music #StressFreeJuly

 

In a world that rarely slows down, stress can become the background score to our lives.

We rush, respond, react—rarely pausing long enough to feel what’s really playing inside us.

But sometimes, it takes a familiar melody, a quiet instrumental, or a timeless Bach piece to remind us: music isn't just for filling silence. It can become a path to finding it.

As part of #StressFreeJuly, we’ve spoken of movement, rest, and digital detoxes. But there’s one gentle shift that’s often overlooked: listening to music—not passively, but completely. Not as background noise, but as a mirror.

The German philosopher Josef Pieper once said:

"Not only is music one of the most amazing and mysterious phenomena of all the world’s miranda, the things that make us wonder but music may be nothing but a secret philosophizing of the soul. Music prompts the philosopher’s continued interest because it is by its nature so close to the fundamentals of human existence."

This isn’t a poetic exaggeration. It’s a psychological truth.

Music, when truly absorbed, allows us to bypass the analytical mind. It bypasses the inner critic, the overthinking, the performance trap.

It meets us where we are, and slowly, wordlessly, helps us move somewhere softer.

Stress often stems from disconnection—from ourselves, from our feelings, from the present moment. But when you surrender to a song, especially one without lyrics, something shifts. You’re no longer trying to fix or solve your inner state. You're simply being with it. Feeling it. Allowing it to surface and move through.

Pieper calls this process a kind of “secret philosophizing of the soul.” You’re not consciously thinking deep thoughts. But somewhere within, you begin to reflect. You may find that a sorrow you've buried returns, not to harm but to release. You may notice that a fear, once tangled in your chest, softens under the weight of a cello or the clarity of a piano.

There’s no rule about which genre to choose. It could be a Bach fugue, a lo-fi instrumental, a movie soundtrack, or your childhood lullaby.

What matters is your presence. Listening not to distract yourself, but to meet yourself.

So this week, give yourself ten quiet minutes. No phone. No scrolling. Just music.

Sit with it. Let it move through the noise in your head.

Let it reach the part of you that words often can’t.

Because sometimes, the most powerful form of healing isn’t about doing more. It’s about hearing more—of yourself.

P.S. One of the stories in my latest book, 'A Connection Called Life' explores how a quiet moment of shared music can spark something meaningful. If you’ve ever found yourself changed by a single song, that story 'Musical Connections' might stay with you. Check it out here: https://amzn.in/d/6uBF7b9