13 Mental Health Awareness Songs For Depression, Anxiety & Stress

Mental health is a key issue in much of contemporary art, notably music.

Many famous people express their experiences with depression, anxiety, and sorrow as our culture removes the stigma associated with discussing difficulties. Some may believe that celebrities live a lovely and flawless existence. Many of us forget to recognize that we are human too and experience the same emotions as the rest of us.

It is why there are so many melancholy mental health awareness songs written by singers who are going through or have been through harsh and tough times in their life. They give voice to individuals who might be afraid to speak up. These incredible musicians exposed their souls to us and provided us with candid songs about mental health awareness and concerns such as anxiety, depression, and other mental diseases.

We’ve compiled a list of 13 songs with lyrics on therapy, depression, and anxiety. Here’s a selection of amazing and wholesome mental health awareness songs that are both emotional and heartfelt and might help you comprehend fear, despair, and other mental diseases. These songs offer you the courage to face your everyday fights with mental health disorders.

1. “In My Blood” By Shawn Mendes

Artist: Shawn Mendes

Released: 2018

Album: Shawn Mendes

Genre: Pop

Shawn Mendes is one of this generation’s most talented, popular, and young male vocalists. He has written number-one singles and albums. Nonetheless, he is not immune to the difficulties of being human. He just made his anxiety struggle public with the publication of his song “In My Blood.”

This song raises our awareness of the hardships that those who struggle face. From anxiety face. If you have an anxiety problem or are feeling depressed and nervous. In that case, music might help you recognize that you are feeling this way. These songs tell us that we will get through it and that there is always someone who can relate.

2. “Sober” by Demi Lovato

Artist: Demi Lovato

Released: 2018

Genre: Pop

Demi has inspired many young girls and boys with her Disney Channel teen series and movies and her great singing career. But, with all that occurred to her as she got older, it was difficult for her not to fall into things that may have a long-term impact on her life.

It’s an evident and honest song. It’s her message of apology to everyone who witnessed and followed her fight with mental illness, including her family, friends, and admirers. It shows what she is still going through and how tough it must be for her to realize how many people are rooting for her. Demi is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful artists we know. Following a long and arduous struggle with her mental health, she clings on and strives for the better.

3. “Breathin” by Ariana Grande

Released: 2018

Album: Sweetener

Genre: Dance-pop

The song describes how you might feel worried when doing something you’ve always done. Ariana has been performing music for many years, yet she still experiences anxiety attacks when doing what she enjoys. The anxiety issue is that it may attack at any time. In any setting, whether or not there is a reason for it.

4. “Head Above Water” by Avril Lavigne

Artist: Avril Lavigne

Released: 2018

Genre: Pop

It’s no surprise that Avril Lavigne has become an icon for our generation. Most of us grew up adoring her style and listening to her music. However, many of her listeners are unaware that she has been battling Lyme Condition, an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Borrelia.

This song is genuine and honest, detailing her hardship and how she’s begging for strength to cope in the middle of her awful predicament. Avril currently uses this song to raise awareness about her ailment and cash to assist others suffering from the same condition.

5. “Fake Happy” By Paramore

Artist: Paramore

Released: 2017

Album: After Laughter

Genres: New wave, Pop rock, Electropop

“After Laughter” has the potential to be Paramore’s most honest and heartfelt album to date. The album’s tracks are about feelings and concepts that we don’t generally hear in mainstream music. “Fake Happy,” like some of the other tracks on this album, is sad, deep, and a little dismal. Nonetheless, it is elegantly wrapped in a cheerful peppy tune. The song begins with a few sorrowful, sluggish music that immediately reflects the song’s sentiment and then transitions to the first verse with an exuberant dancing rhythm.

It’s one of my favorite songs about depression and how we attempt to hide our misery from the rest of the world. The best and most moving part of the song is when the lyrics explain that we are all going through comparable experiences. It serves as a reminder that pretending isn’t always a bright idea. Life may be cruel and painful, but there is no other way to deal with it but to communicate your actual feelings.

6. “Now I’m In It” by Haim

Artist: HAIM

Released: 2020

Album: Women in Music Pt. |||

Genres: Alternative/Indie

Danielle Haim, the band’s lead vocalist, characterized “Now I’m In It” as a song about “going through it” and spoke up about her despair.

“There have been times in our lives when my sisters and I have felt like we are lost in a dark pit,” she said in a series of tweets about the song. “Every time I’ve been depressed, it’s taken me acknowledging that I need help to begin to recover. As I’ve gotten older, it’s been easier for me to notice the signs and remember that I need to get treatment when this happens. (Many thanks to my therapist!!) Anyway, we’re all aware that it’s critical to discuss these issues.”

7. “Help” by the Beatles (1965)

Artist: The Beatles

Released: 1965

Album: Help

Genres: Rock

It may appear to be a timeless pop gem, but underneath the bouncy melody comes a cry for help. John Lennon penned the title tune for The Fab Four’s 1965 album to describe the mounting uneasiness of the band’s prominence.

Lennon would reflect on the song throughout his solo career and characterize it as an attempt to face his challenges and design a path forward by reaching out for support.

8. “Smile” by Jay Z featuring Gloria Carter

Artist: Jay Z

Released: 2017

Album: 4:44

Genres: Hip Hop/Rap

When Jay Z talks, the streets pay attention.

And what they see that his career highlight isn’t typical boastful, but a sobering glimpse at what lurks underneath that confident disguise, including the admission that he was seeking counseling.

“People view you as happy and free in the shadows because that’s what you want them to see,” Jay Z raps. “I’m living two lives, and I’m happy, but I’m not free.”

9. “Rose-coloured Boy” by Paramore

Artist: Rose-coloured Boy

Released: 2018

Album: After Laughter  

Genres: Alternative/Indie

Many of the band’s songs have tackled mental health concerns. “Rose-Colored Boy” focuses on the stigma associated with depression and other related illnesses.

Shortly after the song’s debut in 2018, the band tweeted about its significance:” ‘Rose-Colored Boy is a song about feeling compelled to view the world with blind optimism when you feel quite gloomy about the world and your role in it.” There is so much societal pressure to be (or appear to be) ‘happy’ that we might feel ashamed if we aren’t.

Adding guilt to despair is a lethal combination. It’s difficult enough to live with melancholy, grief, or any form of worry without the extra pressures of society. It’s more vital and therapeutic to meet people where they are – EMPATHY – rather than attempt to portray everything pink.”

10. “Unwell” by Matchbox Twenty

Artist: Matchbox Twenty

Released: 2002

Album: More than you think you are

Genres: Pop

In a Genius interview, lead vocalist Rob Thomas stated that the lyrics of “Unwell” were motivated by personal issues with uncertainty and discomfort, which even resulted in panic episodes.

“It sprang from the thought that I was still not comfortable in my skin and that my job made me feel even less so.” I was always at ease in small gatherings, and I was equally at ease on a stage. “And therefore, you’re never comfortable in the group,” he explained. “You’d do stuff where you’re out and about, and I was never really at ease with it.” That resulted in my having wild panic episodes and figuring out how to bring it all under control.

When I got older, when I started to mature, the lie I’d created about how comfortable and confident I was in myself began to crumble. I was hit with the reality that I must constantly deal with how uneasy I felt. how uncertain of myself I am, every word that comes out of my lips, in every setting. “‘Unwell’ was the start of that for me.” 

11. “Save Myself” by Ed Sheeran

Artist: Ed Sheeran

Released: 2017

Album: Divide

Genre: Pop

Ed Sheeran has written some of our time’s most heartfelt love songs. This song, on the other hand, is more sorrowful and dramatic. Giving so much to other people and the world that you lose sight of yourself is what it is all about. It is a beautiful song that might help us remember that in this world, which can sometimes attempt to pull us down and demand so much of us, we must also take care of ourselves and prioritize our pleasure. 

People suffering from depression believe they are insufficient and unimportant. They would feel less significant and would generally focus on other people while disregarding their weight. This song’s existence is excellent since it will help us comprehend individuals in this circumstance. This helps us reflect on our mental health awareness songs and, hopefully, treat ourselves better.

12. “Save My Soul” by Jojo

Artist: JoJo

Released: 2015

Album: III

Genre: Pop

Life can be so harsh at times. Some conditions might even cause us to suffer. We can sometimes fall for things that will damage us. It gives us the idea that there is nothing we can do to relieve our pain. JoJo’s song “Addiction” is about addiction (whether it is about addiction to bad love or, literally, to substance). It’s about feeling stuck, helpless, and that no one can save us anymore.

13. Hunger by Florence + The Machine

Artist: Florence + The Machine

Released: 2018

Album: High as Hope

Genre: Alternative/Indie

“At 17, I started starving myself,” Florence Welch opens her song on her battle with an eating disorder and other mental health challenges. 

“I learnt to cope with the terror by drinking, doing drugs, and restricting my food intake.” It was like a revival of childhood, a toddler’s self-destruction unleashed in a grown-up.

Conclusion

Music has its way of making you feel better, and it understands you when nobody can it can you know your feelings. It can be a way to convey your feelings to others when you have no words. We wish you good mental health with these mental awareness songs listed above. And you can also listen to our other blog on 13 mental health podcasts to feel better.

Can you relate to any of the songs? Please share your stories in the comments below and tell us which other songs you like.

Every week, keep an eye out for our mental health blog posts.