6 Songs for Your ADHD
“Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast,” or so the old saying goes. There’s an element of truth to that. Music can affect our mental state. If we find the right uplifting songs, we can use music to calm our brains or relax, two things ADHDers could use from time to time.
1. “Keep Your Head Up” – Andy Grammer
When life gets you down, do you know what you need to do? Andy Grammer does. His first hit is a reminder of the power of positivity.
2. “Spiegel im Spiegel” – Arvo Pärt
This is a long one, but it is quite soothing to the brain. I first heard it while driving, and when I arrived at my destination, I sat in my car waiting for it to end for a long time before I realized that it was a long song and I could just download it off of Apple Music and listen to it later. You may find classical music boring, but it has tremendous power to inspire relaxation and calm.
3. “The Original” – Roo Panes
This song is about the original version of ourselves. Through our lives, we have taken on, as part of our identities, things other people wanted us to be. Yet, to be truly happy, we need to shed the expectations of others and embrace our true selves. I think this is something those of us with ADHD experience quite a bit. For most of our lives, we try so desperately to be what others want us to be, to meet their expectations. This prevents us from being happy.
4. “Fighter” – Lee Roessler
The main theme of this song is perseverance. It encourages you to keep fighting, to not give up. This song is a reminder that, when ADHD gets us down, we can do it. We can get back up and take on the challenges of ADHD with renewed fervor. You, dear reader, are a fighter. Keep on fighting.
5. “Someday” – Rob Thomas
If I could describe this song in one word, that word would be “hope.” In this song, the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty (my favorite band) sings, “Maybe someday we’ll figure all this out.” Life with ADHD can constantly feel like you have know idea what you’re doing. Well, today might be a struggle, but tomorrow could be better. And, the day after that could be even better. Learning how to properly manage your ADHD can be a slow process, but it does get better if you take small steps.
And, let’s not forget that the song opens with an expression of Reset ADHD’s founding principle. Thomas proudly proclaims, “You can start all over again” That is what we at Reset ADHD want you to do: Hit the reset button, and start the battle against ADHD over. When it is time to hit the Reset Button on your ADHD, it might be a good idea to make this song your anthem.
6. “Try Different (The Fish Song)” – Jessica McCabe
The host of the popular YouTube show “How to ADHD” wrote this song to encourage ADHDers to keep trying and to try in a way that is more appropriate for how their brains work. We are fish, not monkeys. We should swim, not climb trees.