The Magic of Community Singing **How Singing Can Help With Depression**

by Jamie Figueroa

Singing is a powerful activity that can have a significant impact on our mental and physical health. In recent years, there has been a growing body of research that suggests that singing can help to improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression. **What is the connection between singing and depression?** There are a number of reasons why singing may be helpful for people with depression. First, singing can release endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. Second, singing can help to improve breathing and oxygen intake, which can also improve mood. Third, singing can be a social activity that can help to connect people with others and create a sense of community. Finally, singing can be a creative outlet that can help people to express their emotions and feel better about themselves.

31 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2024

About the author

Jamie Figueroa is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Brother, Sister, Mother, Explorer (Catapult 2021), which was shortlisted for the Reading the West Book Award and long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, was an Indie Next pick, a Good Morning America must-read book of the month, and was named a most anticipated debut of the year by Bustle, Electric Literature, The Millions, and Rumpus. A member of the faculty in the MFA Creative Writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Figueroa has published writing in American Short Fiction, Emergence Magazine, Elle, McSweeney’s, Agni, The New York Times, and the Boston Review, among other publications. A Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA) alum, she received a Truman Capote Award and was a Bread Loaf Rona Jaffe Scholar. Boricua (Afro-Taíno) by way of Ohio, Figueroa is a longtime resident of northern New Mexico.