Tuesday Tunes

“We chase misprinted lies

We face the path of time”

- Alice in Chains

Still coming down from an incredible weekend at Rock on the Range, and hanging out, talking stress management and internal connectivity with the guys from Tool at their Clinic in Cleveland. Besides loving every second of the music filled weekend, what was strikingly present was that two of the biggest headlining bands, Alice and Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots, lost both of their original singers to drugs, alcohol, and ultimately mental illness… with the anniversary of Chris Cornell’s death being just one year ago.

These lyrics are from the song, “Nutshell.” The song in its entirety is so beautiful yet eerie. It’s lyrics relatable when we are sitting with those dark thoughts in our head; those thoughts that lead us to believe we are all alone and have no one or nothing, and that it will stay that way forever… which is just NOT based in reality. These thoughts are not uncommon for people in a depressive state, and we know drugs and alcohol may make the thoughts go away for just a minute, but those thoughts come back with a vengeance and are even more overpowering.

Breaking this down, what are we chasing? Recognition? Fame? Approval? What other people think we should do or be? Time will eventually come to an end for each and everyone of us (hopefully when I’m 101 in my sleep), and how do we want to say we lived our lives? Looking back what would stand out as important?

What positive things in our life can we focus on? If you feel like you just dont have anything positive and havent realized your true purpose yet (most people never know), what small actions can you start taking to work on it? Meditation, journaling, prayer, ask a few people what they like about you, talk to others preferably a little older what helped them, volunteer, wake up very early and go to the beach…

There are so many relatable song lyrics that showcase mental health, and I am often hesitant to use them on here. I have listened to so much music over the course of my lifetime where I had the urge to reach out to the artist to ask if they needed help because it sounds like they are begging for it. Mental illness is rampant in the music industry. Sometimes simply writing and playing music is enough as a coping mechanism and sometimes a lot more is needed.