Songs to Increase Your Energy and Joy

In the last post, we talked about 4 Ways Music Helps Us Feel Better Fast. Today I want to share the specific songs that have consistently brought support, healing, and joy to my life. I have broken these favorite songs into two categories based on how they energetically influence the mind, body & spirit.

Music to Lift Your Spirit

Some songs naturally raise our vibrations. You don’t need to understand the principles of energy healing to recognize that this is true. You feel a sensation rising through your body in response to the fast or upbeat tempo of a particular tune and suddenly you can’t help but smile. These fast-paced songs give us more energy to power through our day. They help to loosen the body so that you feel less stress and more ease.

These spirit-lifting songs are great for:

• Starting out your day with a jolt of joy
• Motivating yourself to work out
• Supporting a stressful commute
• Giving yourself a boost of energy in the middle of your day

Songs to Increase Your Energy and Lift Your Spirit

Following are a dozen of my favorite energetic songs. You can find them on the HHH Spotify Playlist “Lift Your SPIRIT” and linked below:

• Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves – It is hard to listen to this song and be in a bad mood. It comes in hot and never stops. I can’t help but move every time I hear it.
• Southern Cross – Jimmy Buffett – “spirits are using me, a larger voice is calling…” gives me chills every time.  
• Higher Love – Steven Winwood – You just have to sing along to this one. I also love the Whitney Houston & Kyogo version, but there is nothing like an original.
• September – Earth, Wind & Fire – One of the best dance songs ever made – nuff said.
• Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls – “darkness has a hunger that’s insatiable and lightness has a call that’s hard to hear.” WOW! This song is both peppy and profound.
• Spectrum – Florence and the Machine – “Say my name and every color will illuminate. We are shining, and we will never be afraid again!” This song is so empowering! I use it as motivation for holding plank pose.
• Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root– This one reminds me of college. It has such a happy, uplifting beat.
• Pain Lies on the Riverside – Live – The pace of the music teamed with the depth of the lyrics totally take my breath away. This entire album (Awake, the Best of Live*) is filed with powerful gems.
• Ants Marching – Dave Matthews Band – This one reminds me of my dear friend Steven. It always makes me smile.
• Real, Real Gone – Van Morrison – Those horns! They’re guaranteed to make you move.
• Seasons of Love – The Cast of Rent – “525,600 minutes – how do you measure a year in a life? How about LOVVVVEEEEE?!” So dang catchy, and measuring anything in love feels like a pretty good idea.  
• Levels – Avicii – With very few lyrics, this one is all about the music. There’s a reason you hear this one played at sporting events. It has some serious mojo.  

---

Music to Bring Grounding and Depth

In contrast to fast-paced songs that increase your energy, there are also songs that foster emotional healing by providing energetic grounding and depth. These songs hit us straight in the heart. Whether it is due to the lyrics, or via the musical vibrations, something resonates deep within us. As you feel your feelings, a sense of peace comes over your body, along with the recognition that you are not alone in your emotions.   

These inspirational songs are ideal for:

• Unwinding after a hectic day
• Listening to while journaling
• Working through deep hurts like a divorce, breakup, or the loss of a loved one [You might also like the “BIGGER than a Breakup” playlist for this purpose.]
• Using as a daily meditation

Songs to Help You Feel Your Feelings

Below are some of my favorite heart-hitting songs. These are included on the HHH Spotify Playlist “FEEL all the Feels” and linked below:  

• In Your Eyes (Live) – Peter Gabriel – I have loved this song from the moment I heard it. The chanting in this live version is particularly moving.
• Love Reign O’er Me (Live) – Heart – I love to use this one as a meditation. I can truly feel my heart chakra expand as this song progresses.  
• It’s Alright – Big Head Todd and The Monsters – “It’s alright if you just want to go home. It’s alright if you just want to be alone. I understand. I understand. I understand.” This is elixir for this introvert’s soul. I loved this song so much when I first heard it at a fraternity party that I hunted down the band, which has since become a favorite. BHTM has so much soul. Many of their songs lift my spirit.   
• Song for a Friend – Jason Mraz – “Because, when you play the fool now, you’re only fooling everyone else. You’re learning to love yourself.” The music, the lyrics – this song is perfection.
• Rise Up – Andra Day – Such an amazing voice, and so inspiring.
• Breath Me – Sia – This song is hauntingly beautiful. “Be my friend. Hold me. Wrap me up. Unfold me.”
• Broken – Scott Stapp – I first heard this song at an ice skating show. I couldn’t hold back my tears. “Do you know what it feels like to be broken and used, scared and confused?” Yes. The answer is “Yes.” I believe we all do.
• Perfect Symmetry – Keane – I first heard this song when I started online dating. “What I do, that will be done to me” was a powerful reminder to act with karma in mind.  
• Rise – Katy Perry – “I won’t just survive. Oh, you will see me thrive.”This song was released while I was going through my divorce. It felt like such a gift. I played it almost every day during my stressful commute.
• Nothing Stays the Same – Luke Sital-Singh – “We all hurt. We all lie, and nothing stays the same.” So relatable and comforting.     
• My Wish – Rascal Flats – “I hope you always forgive and you never regret, and you help somebody every chance you get.” The lyrics are beautiful. It is a musical prayer.
• He Lives in You (Reprise) – The Cast of Lion King – This makes me think of all my loved ones who have passed. “They live in you. They live in me. They’re watching over everything we see.” It is so moving.

---

Get More from Your Music

Music is a shared, universal experience, as well as, a deeply personal, unique expression of who we are. I’ve shared my favorite songs and the stories behind them in hopes that they might resonate with you. However, my ultimate goal is to inspire you to create a list of your own favorites that you can use to perk you up whenever you need the support. The following tips can help you get more from your music.  

Make it a Meditation

Listening to music can serve as a form of meditation. Find a quiet space, and settle in with your favorite playlist. Give yourself permission to experience the music without any distractions. If you are able, listen with headphones so that you can fully immerse yourself in the sound.

Mix it Up

Try to mix up the style of music you listen to so that you have a balance of fast-paced and uplifting, with soulful and grounding songs. Too much of one type of music can put you out of balance. This is especially true if you find yourself depressed and drawn to deep, emotional songs. While those songs will support you in feeling your feelings, they could pull your energy down too much. By mixing in more uplifting or energetic songs, you can better align your energies.

Set up a Free Spotify Account

I share my playlists on Spotify because I find their free service to be very easy to use. I have added the Spotify Web Player to the bookmark tab of my Chrome browser. That makes it a cinch to access my music quickly on my laptop. I also have the Free Spotify App on my phone and tablet, although using the app seems to jumble the order in which songs play. This isn’t that big of a deal, but does lead me to use the web player more often.  Learn more about setting up your free account through Spotify’s Getting Started Guide: https://support.spotify.com/us/article/getting-started/.

---

This series of posts is part of my commitment to supporting you in Finding Joy in Challenging Times. If this resonates with you, please share it with a friend! Do you have a favorite, feel-good song? Please let me know below.

---

Michelle Gibeault Traub is a health writer, compassionate coach, and the author of Online Dating for Sensitive Women. Her mission is to help women be their best in body, mind & spirit.

Sign up for Michelle’s FREE Gifts – The Natural Healing Toolkit and 33 Ways to Add More Joy to Your Life.   

*This is an affiliate link