World Mental Health Day: 5 Relatable Songs for the Ups and Downs of the Mind

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and every day the world gets closer and closer to lifting the stigma around discussing mental health. It used to be taboo to talk about the inner workings of your mind if you were struggling and needed help. Now, there are countless resources and people out there to lend a hand, and we talk about mental illness more than ever. We’re on the right track, but to bring even more awareness to mental health, here are five songs that touch on the subject.

“Mood Swings” — Marcus King

The title track from Marcus King’s highly praised recent album, “Mood Swings” articulates what it’s like to show someone your true colors and emotions, even to the detriment of that relationship. Feel like I can really be myself around you, King sings, followed by the line Mood swings like a pendulum I can’t break loose. The entire album is an exploration of King’s mental health as he navigated his life and his marriage along with his mind. According to King, he’s in a much better headspace now after making the album.

“Anxiety” — IDLES

This song feels like having an anxiety attack (which, to be fair, a lot of IDLES’ stuff does). It comes out in the thrashy guitar, but it’s also in the lines I’ve got anxiety / It has got the best of me. “Anxiety” appears on the album Ultra Mono, which frontman Joe Talbot has explained as being a reaction to trauma. “Emotionally I’m not healed, I’m healing and that’s what’s on the record,” he told DIY in 2020. “The songs are all projections of inner workings, I’m not preaching or telling anyone else what to do. I’m showing people what I’m doing to become a better person in the long run – no, not better, but a more productive person.”

“Numb Little Bug” — Em Beihold

“Numb Little Bug” is a deceptively catchy song about feeling numb, depressed, and lonely. Em Beihold captures the guilt and shame that come with being depressed, with not calling your friends in weeks and falling out of touch with them. There’s a sense of being not so far gone that there’s no way out of it, but more of “hanging by a thread.” Do you ever feel a little bit tired of life? / Like you’re not really happy but you don’t wanna die, is the key lyric here. Depression has many different facets and differs from person to person. Sometimes, it looks like an all-consuming void, and sometimes it looks like the world is just too big.

“Serotonin” — girl in red

This is an interesting take here. Girl in red talks about something that is not usually mentioned in casual discussions of mental health—intrusive thoughts. These are scary, sudden, and fleeting thoughts that come to mind and are usually gone just as quickly. However, their impact can last, as girl in red sings on “Serotonin.” In the chorus, she sings of cutting my hands off and jumping in front of a bus or burning my hair off and hurting someone I love. She also asks does it ever really stop? which is, of course, the question of the century.

“Free” — Florence + the Machine

This song from Florence + the Machine’s recent album Dance Fever touches on mental health, but also explores ways of alleviating the burden. In “Free,” it’s through dance. The song starts with the speaker being picked up and put down by their struggles “a thousand times a day.” However, I feel the music, I feel the beat / And for a moment when I’m dancing / I’m free. It’s as if this song is saying, things may be dark. However, there’s light every once in a while if you know where to find it.

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