🎵 “I Know It’s Silly, But Singing Helps…”

How Music Gives the Nervous System What It’s Actually Been Asking For

Jun 13, 2025

As a body-led therapist, I spend a lot of time exploring ways the body holds—and releases—what words can’t always reach.

Sometimes that happens through talking.Sometimes it happens through breathwork, yoga, somatic release, or EMDR.But lately… I’ve been finding myself coming back to music.

Not music as a background tool.Not as an afterthought.But music as the actual intervention. The regulation. The thing that brings people back into their bodies.

🎤 “It’s Just a Silly Coping Skill…”

The other day someone told me:

“You might think it sounds kind of silly….but, the other day when I was overwhelmed, I just turned up the radio and sang at the top of my lungs….AND it actually helped!”

They looked at me like they were confessing something they needed to outgrow. But I didn’t see anything silly about it.

I said, “Honestly, that might be one of the most powerful things you can do for your nervous system….and it just so happens to be my FAVORITE way to regulate myself!”

🎧 Music Isn’t a Bonus—It’s a Way In

I LOVE that I work from home because I have discovered that my FAVORITE way to get ready for a day full of sessions (or any day really), is not doing a meditation or traditional breath work….it’s singing a few songs while strumming my ukulele! It grounds me better than mostly anything these days!

Of course knowing me, this lead me into wanting to learn more about why this made me feel SO grounded! One of the paths it took me down was getting trained in the Safe and Sound Protocol—a sound-based therapy designed to retrain how the nervous system responds to sound.

The idea is this: the nervous system can become overloaded by sound input. The SSP starts with simplified, filtered music to help the system calm down. Then it gradually increases complexity, building the nervous system’s ability to stay regulated in the presence of more nuance, tone, and rhythm.

It’s gentle. It’s passive. And it works by going through the ear, not the mind.That understanding changed the way I think about music—not as something we listen to, but something we co-regulate with.

🧠 My Brain/Body Doesn’t Want Stillness—It Wants Sound

For many people with anxiety, ADHD, or other nervous system struggles (myself included), sitting still can be challenging.

Breathwork? It’s SO helpful, but sometimes hard to do in the moment of anxiety.

Body scans can feel too slow for some.

Trying to “calm down” by being quiet….often has the opposite effect for many.

But if I can pick up my ukulele, strum a few chords, and sing a couple songs?Personally I have found that it brings me back faster than anything else (maybe other than a walk….which we talk about in other articles).

There’s something about the movement, rhythm, sound, breath, and polytasking that actually works for my system! I’m engaging multiple pathways of regulation all at once—vocal cords, breath, rhythm, sensory input, motor coordination.

And unlike many of the “vagal stimulation” tools I’ve seen marketed lately, music doesn’t require batteries, apps, or perfect technique.

It just needs a little bit of rhythm!

🧬 Why Music Actually Regulates the Nervous System

Let’s break down what’s happening when we use music this way:

The vagus nerve, which helps regulate stress and restore calm, runs through the throat, lungs, and diaphragm. Singing vibrates all three. It’s like giving your vagus nerve…..and EVERY organ in your body a relaxing massage.
Rhythm and melody provide predictable sensory input—a huge support for brains wired for hypervigilance or distractibility.
Music increases heart rate variability, a marker of nervous system flexibility and resilience.
It’s breath work made easy! Inhale for a quick moment so you can get in as much air as possible, and then slowly exhale while singing your lyrics.
It often evokes emotion, release, and a sense of co-regulation, especially when we sing along or move with it.

In other words: music doesn’t just feel good—it literally shifts your state!!!!

🎶 Not Silly. Somatic.

So no, it’s not silly when you belt out show tunes in the car. It’s not silly when you loop a playlist that matches your mood. It’s not silly when the only thing that brings you down from a spiral is a familiar chorus.

It’s smart.It’s somatic. It’s what your nervous system knows how to do—even if your rational brain doesn’t recognize it as “therapy.”

If you’ve ever soothed yourself with music, you’ve already done body-led work. You’ve already regulated your vagus nerve. You’ve already shown up for yourself in a way that worked.

💡 Want to Try?

A few ways to bring music into your own regulation practice:

Sing in the car, shower, or kitchen—somewhere you feel free
Strum or tap along with a beat—even if it’s clumsy
Use headphones when the world feels too loud or you need control
Loop a song that helps you process, grieve, shift, or release
Let your body move with the music—sway, rock, tap your feet
Try vocalizing (humming, toning, sighing) when words aren’t enough
Go to a show- one of my all time favorites…. Finding a local music venue and getting yourself a good dose of music + co-regulation!!!!!!

🌱 Final Thought

There's a lot to be said about calming our nervous system through stillness and silence. But for some of us, the answer might not be stillness all the time!

It might be resonance.

It might be vibration.It might be rhythm.It might be your voice.

So if singing is what works—don’t second guess it.Lean into it….. and turn that radio up!!!!