Thea Cates-Foster – Literary Arts Blogspace

How Music Can Boost Your Mood and Mind.

How Music Can Boost Your Mood and Mind

Ever notice how a good song can instantly make you feel better? Whether it’s an upbeat tune that gets you dancing or a soothing melody that helps you unwind, music has a strong impact on the brain In fact, research shows that music is not just entertainment; it can actually improve your mental health.

Here’s how music can help your mood and mind:

Reduces Stress and Anxiety Listening to calming music can lower your heart rate and soothe your nervous system. That’s why soft, slow music is often used during meditation or yoga. It helps your body relax and allows your mind to calm down.

Boosts Your Mood When you hear a song you love, your brain releases dopamine, a feel-good chemical. This is why music can make you feel happier, more energized, or even emotional. It acts like a natural mood enhancer.

Helps You Focus Background music, especially instrumental tracks, can aid concentration. Some people find that playing soft music while working or studying helps them stay focused and block out distractions.

Improves Memory Music activates many areas of the brain, including those related to memory. That’s why an old song can bring back specific moments or feelings. Some studies also show that music therapy helps people with Alzheimer’s recall memories.

Inspires Creativity Music can create an atmosphere for creativity. Whether you’re writing, painting, or brainstorming, the right playlist can help you think more freely and express yourself better.

Music also brings people together. Sharing songs with friends, attending concerts, or playing instruments in a group can strengthen social bonds and create lasting memories. These shared musical experiences foster connection, reduce feelings of loneliness, and support emotional well-being, reminding us we’re not alone in how we feel.

How to Use Music in Your Daily Life: – Start your day with an upbeat playlist – Play calm music while winding down at night – Use music to stay motivated during workouts – Try lo-fi or classical music for studying or working – Create playlists for different moods or tasks

The best part? There’s no “right” kind of music. Everyone responds to different sounds. What matters is how it makes you feel. So the next time you’re feeling down, stressed, or stuck, try turning on some music. Whether you sing along, dance around, or just listen quietly, music can reach your soul and make everything feel a little bit better.

My Top 10 Vocaloid songs

Steampianst- “The Umbrella Salesman”

So low because it’s kind of sad and more of a storytelling. GENUINELY SO HAUNTING, it’s all about an umbrella salesman who says his umbrellas are magic levitating umbrellas, but nobody buys them. So, on a rainy day he goes to the top of a tall building and jumps off with the umbrella. Let’s just say he certainly ends up above in the clouds…non magically…

R.I.P- “Language of the Lost”

AAHH very upbeat considering it’s about a confused identity and goes through a range of emotions, IT HAS SUCH A HAPPY ENDING where the Teto (the Vocaloid singing) realizes it doesn’t matter what she is and only that she’s her and she should love that.

Deco*27“Monitoring”

Pov of a mentally ill person on the person who is checking in on them outside, Lowkey a BANGER plus its cool when you get little flashes of reality that aren’t delusions.

Paseri Onuma- “Egoist”

About WELL an egoistic person believing they are better than the things around them to an EXTREME point.

Kikuo – “O Light”

A person in a dream BEGGING to wake up, the character seems to be just stuck in an endless cycle of delusions.

32ki- “Mesmerizer”

The two characters are basically hypnotized into a sense of calm while they were looking for an escape.

Abu-Se-Ken- “Flowers, Mountains & Funerals”

AHHH Kinda hard to make out the meaning but from what i get i believe its about living on after someone dies. It has really cool and climatic instrumentals

Abu-Se-Ken- “Want to Be Cremated”

A deep reflection on cremation, delving into grief and what comes after

Lanndo- “Lower one’s eyes”

Narrated from the perspective of a maid who feels conflict in her relationship with her teacher (a “witch”). She admires the witch but simultaneously harbors jealousy, guilt, and fear. Driven by her insecurities and longing, she betrays the witch—this betrayal leads to the witch’s execution. The maid wrestles with remorse and the weight of her own decisions. (TLDR: doomed yuri)

FLAVOR FOLEY- “Spoken For”

The song follows an idol who feels trapped in her career. Her words, image, and actions are all controlled by others, leaving her with no personal freedom. As she performs, the pressure of constant expectations eats away at her identity. She struggles with exhaustion, self-doubt, and isolation, realizing that everything she presents to the world is scripted and “spoken for.”

The Nostalgia of Warrior Cats

For so many people (me included), Warrior Cats wasn’t just a series—it was a gateway into imagination, friendships, and character writing. Whether discovered on a library shelf or passed along by a friend, the series left a mark on so many across around the world. Looking back, the nostalgia of Warrior Cats is about more than the cats that run. It’s about the experience of growing up with them.

Opening the first book, Into the Wild, felt like stepping into a completely new world hidden within the ordinary forest. The idea that cats could have clans, rules, leaders, and destinies made the real world itself make more sense. I remember reading late at night under the covers, sneaking in just one more chapter, desperate to know what would happen to our orane main character or who would die next.

Beyond the stories, Warrior Cats was a huge community. Online forums, fan fiction, roleplay, and fan art were everywhere you looked. For countless readers, creating their own original characters and imagining new clan adventures was just as exciting as reading the books. It was one of the first fandom experiences I experienced, teaching me how to collaborate, share, and create in a world that felt like my own. That creative outlet is a huge reason why I am the writer i am now.

Focusing back in on the books, Warrior Cats never shied away from serious themes—loss, loyalty, betrayal, and hope. Characters died, friendships fell apart, leaders made hard decisions, and young cats had to grow up quickly due to war. For young readers such as myself, these stories were some of their first introductions to complex emotions and moral choices. Looking back, those moments hit differently now, but the lessons they carried stick with me.

Rereading the series today feels like visiting old friends. The names—Firestar, Graystripe, Bluestar, Tallstar (Best character)—bring back a flood of memories. Even the familiar maps of the forest or the rules of the Warrior Code feel comforting, like revisiting a childhood neighborhood. It’s not just about cats in clans; it’s about remembering a time in life when the world felt bigger and every story carried endless possibilities.

The nostalgia of Warrior Cats lives on because it was more than just a set of books. It was an era of exploration, creativity, and connection for me and many others. For those who grew up with the series, flipping through its pages today is like stepping back into the forest—a reminder of who we were, and how far we’ve come.

There WILL be a blog on “Tallstar’s Revenge” at SOME point because how can i NOT talk about the best character and most GAY cat.

Here’s some 5 minute fanart of one of the cats in the books.

Muse- Showbiz : A album analysis Part 3 FINALE

SHOWBIZ ANALYSIS FINALE!!!!!!!!!!

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Escape
Chaotic and raw, Escape encapsulates Muse’s early intensity and their ability to turn panic into art. The song captures a desperate urge to flee suffocation, whether from societal pressures or personal entrapment. Lines like “You would say anything, and you would try anything” shows frantic attempts to claw out of control to the point of doing anything. The singer’s strained vocals, paired with distorted, jagged riffs, create a crowded tune. The track doesn’t feel polished, it’s messy and overwhelming yet that’s precisely its power.

Overdue

I don’t have much to say about this track as I personally see it as straight forward. In Overdue, bitterness replaces panic. Here, the confrontation is betrayal and disappointment, specifically the anger that comes from wasted devotion. The line “You’ll make us want you, you’re all we need” uses irony, showing the false promises of someone undeserving of trust. Musically, the track pushes forward roughly, as if each chord is driving home the frustration of misplaced belief.

Hate This & I’ll Love You

the closing track of Showbiz. Unlike the aggression found elsewhere, lyrically it explores a paradoxical relationship between love and pain, where rejection and hostility are met not with retaliation but with devotion. The title itself encapsulates this contradiction—suggesting that even in the face of hatred, love persists, though it is tinged self-destruction. The song captures themes of longing, imbalance, and the emotional cost of giving oneself completely, closing the album with a sense of unresolved yearning rather than resolution.

Spiral Static (Bonus Track)

Track was only released in the Japanese edition of the album. Though released as a bonus track, Spiral Static deepens the album’s themes. Atmospheric and haunting, it pulls listeners into a cycle of obsession and entrapment. The lyric “You’re the one who’s scared of me” flips vulnerability into menace, suggesting unstable power dynamics within relationships. The track’s swirling, hypnotic sound creates the sense of being caught in an endless loop, unable to fully escape.

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With that, we reach the conclusion of this deep dive into Showbiz. Across three parts, we’ve explored the beginnings of Muse, their lyrical intensity, and the emotions that shaped their debut. Every track reveals a fragment of identity, from suffocating pressures to moments of fragile vulnerability. This third installment brings the journey full circle, tying together the chaos, passion, and ambition that defined the era. Thank you for listening to my ramblings about this wonderful band.

Muse- Showbiz : A album analysis Part 2

Showbiz album review PT.2!

5.Showbiz

The Title Track! Thats always how you know it’s going to be good. This song explores the suffocating pressure of expectation and conformity in said showbiz though it can also be seen as normal life pressure. This song specifically critiques the false personas forced upon artists and others. The song goes from calm and mellow and slowly builds up to explosive shouts then finally uncontrolled high-pitched shouts which reflect both personal struggles and a broader commentary on fame’s agonizing reality. Its rawness makes it one of the most defining tracks Muse has ever made and is in my top 3 of their songs.

6.Unintended’

The most out of place song on the album, this song never gets rough or in too heavy electric unlike the others, it’s mostly acoustic which builds its soft feeling like the calm before the storm. It’s almost like the song wasn’t intended for this album, haha wink wink. The song centers on love’s UNINTENDED arrival, its lyrics capture the bittersweet discovery of intimacy. “I be there as soon as I can” exposes how something can be unplanned yet deeply meaningful.

7.Uno

The title being “Uno” aka One already sets up the theme for this song…LONLINESS. Everyone’s favorite thing! Anyway, this song talks about some sort of lost relationship that has the speaker convincing themself that “You’re still nothing to me and this is nothing to me” even as they fantasize about what could have been, “We could have had so much fun”. The song continues to explore cynicism in relationships and a loss of innocence, portraying connection not as salvation but as suffocation. Muse’s intensity makes this bleak subject memorable.

Sober

Again, another song title that gives away theme. In “Sober,” Muse confronts themes of addiction, temptation, and destructive escapism. The lyrics suggest a toxic cycle of indulgence, regret, and dependence. The struggle drags on in every chorus as the speaker counts on a “solid” thing. The object of addiction isn’t directly stated but I like that as you can leave it to your own interpretation. The repeated yearning for control contrasts with the inability to break free. The track stays overall gloomy and panicked like a whirlpool that you cant swim out of.

Alright! Thats the end of Part 2 of my showbiz review! We’re almost done with this forgotten masterpiece, part 3 will be the FINAL part.

Muse- Showbiz : A album analysis Part 1

The album Showbiz is Muse’s 1999 Debut album. The band could have made a album that was palatable and easy for listeners to attract to but instead they made a statement with each song. I will be explaining my take on each song in order.

Sunburn

This song opens with “Come waste your millions here” already establishing entertainment as a theme. This is then followed by words like “sneers” which suggests a darker side to this innocent entertainment and “corporate” which ties this into the entertainment industry specifically. The song then proceeds on with a extreme theme of guilt such as “I’ll hide from the world behind a broken frame” and “guilty conscience grow” these both show how indulging in whatever was first brought up in the beginning has made them shameful.

Muscle Museum

If you were to look up Muse in the dictionary then Muscle and museum would come before and after it, which is how it gets its title. This song is one of the most subtle of all the songs in the album. The lyrics talk about people not facing they’re inner feelings. the music video shows people doing normal day things such as brushing their teeth or eating, except they are ugly crying as they do them. This also contributes to how everyone feels these emotions no matter how boring the life.

Fillip

This song has a very debated meaning but i personally see it as a uplifting song. I see as a song about readying for big things and chasing the memories of life instead of the worries.

Falling Down

This song definitely is about growing up in a small town, the singer references how the place he’s looking for isn’t the small “five thousand houses” town. Even if the town is not remarkable he still wont forget it even though he’s “heading straight for the clouds

Cave

Inspired by Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray, Cave has almost the same theme as the book its inspired by. Cave describes how men retreat into themselves when in distress, using lines like “Leave me alone, it’s nothing Serious” and “please close your ears and try to look away” show how they hide they’re emotions. Other lines like “I’ll do it myself, it’s got nothing to do with you” and “ don’t ever come my way” draw out how men try to do things by themselves without help.