Every time I listen to teenage star Billie Eilish’s latest album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go, I notice yet another line that mentions depression, suicide, anxiety – the list goes on. It’s not surprising. Not only does Eilish openly struggle with mental illness herself, mental illness rates in teens are rising, according to Teen Mental Health – and with less than four percent of the health care budget devoted to fixing the problem, teens have found their own ways of coping.

Recent studies have shown that more and more teens are struggling with their mental health, and that leaves many kids searching for a way to feel happier. A great deal of these teens listen to music to calm down or let go of their difficulties. Music can really help.

When lyrics are relatable or really speak to you, it can help you feel less alone or boost your confidence. When music has a calming sound, it can reduce stress. One huge reason music can be so relatable is that many of the artists themselves struggle with similar problems as their listeners.

A May Billboard article cited studies that found that as much as 73 percent of independent musicians may suffer from mental illness, and artists such as Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and even Shawn Mendes have written lyrics about suicide and panic attacks, says Spinditty. Logic’s “1-800-273-8255,” a song featuring a suicide hotline number in both its title and chorus, reached third on the Billboard Hot 100, and led many teens to call the hotline, Billboard states. The song featured heavy lyrics such as “I just wanna die today” and “my life don’t even matter.” It increased the daily call volume to the highest it had ever been at that point, with 4,573 calls on April 28, 2017. The more people who call the hotline, the more people they can help.

Whenever I’m stressed, my first stop is my 186-song playlist which features music from every corner of the world. But without a doubt, listening to songs I can relate to is most comforting. I’ve found that hearing lyrics that reflect my own life, even past my mental health, reaches me far better than what I don’t relate to or don’t understand. For many teens, hearing what they’re going through written into songs by their favorite artists helps them in realizing that they really aren’t alone.

Additionally, seeing successful people with similar obstacles to themselves can encourage teens to keep going. But lyrics about mental health aren’t a new concept. Musician Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994, often wrote music about depression and suicide for his band, Nirvana. Even the Beatles, who are often thought of as a relatively upbeat group, wrote songs about loneliness, depression, and getting through tough times. You may recognize a couple of them: “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Yesterday,” and many others. And with teenage mental illness on the rise, music that features these issues in a prominent role is becoming more important.

But music doesn’t have to allude to mental health to help mental health. According to a 2013 Healthline article, music can help your overall mental state. People with various mental illnesses may listen to music to reduce their symptoms.

Not all music will help you, but finding the music that makes you feel better can serve as a kind of therapy. Psychologists even recommend this therapy as an alternate form of treatment for some patients.

Listening to music can benefit your health before you’re even born. Experts recommend pregnant mothers play music for a healthy baby. According to a 2018 article from Time, listening to music before surgery can help aid recovery.

I’ve found that relaxing music can help me feel better in almost any situation, especially when falling asleep. This goes for lyrical music especially. I’ve fillies my ancient iPod nano with music that I can relate to, from calming artists such as the Lumineers, Billie Eilish, Vance Joy, and the Beatles, to less calming artists who write relatably, like Imagine Dragons. It may seem like my music choices are all over the place, but I’ve listened to this music in stressful places and when going to bed – just to calm down – and it works.

So, next time you’re feeling stressed, whether it’s about school, sports, home, or something completely different, try playing music that you can relate to, or music that helps you relax. Chances are, it will make a difference in how you feel.