My Brain's Not Broken

As part of a new recurring series on the blog, I’m going to be sharing a ‘Song of the Month on MBNB. It might be a song I can’t stop listening to at the moment, or a song I have a history with. It could be a song I don’t know much about, or I’ve listened to a thousand times. Regardless of the reason, these songs have inspired me and my mental health, and I want to share them with you. Whether you’ve heard of them or not, I hope these songs give you more insight into my world and my approach to mental health. This month’s song is “You Are Enough” by Sleeping at Last.

One of my favorite things about music is the sheer vastness of it all. It seems like there’s always something more to explore, a new artist to discover or a new type of music to fall in love with. I discovered Sleeping At Last only a few years ago, but the deep dive I’ve gotten to take into this music has brought me so many wonderful experiences. As someone who isn’t very skilled at writing about music, Sleeping At Last’s sound is hard to describe. In my experience, the music drifts between a dream pop kind of sound, something ambient and calming (doing this research has also led me to a type of music called “baroque pop” which sums it up pretty well).

My favorite part of Sleeping At Last’s music is how it makes me feel. I become introspective when I listen to this music; I think about my place in the world, in the lives of others, and how I can better connect with the world around me. There are many songs that are meaningful to me, but the one I want to talk about has been a strong motivator for me on my mental health journey. “You Are Enough” came out in 2014 as part of the “Atlas” album.

As you can probably tell from the title, this song’s lyrics immediately resonated with me. They’ve stuck with me when I experience self-doubt and negative thoughts, and they serve as a reminder of who I am:

You’re enough, you’re enough, you’re enough, you are enough
These little words, somehow they’re changing us
You’re enough, you’re enough, you are enough
So we let our shadows fall away like dust

“You Are Enough” by Sleeping At Last

But it’s not just the lyrics. Sometimes songs that have positive or inspirational messages can feel extremely dramatic, but this one makes me feel…different. The music is lighter, brighter and cleaner. It’s almost as if this songs serves a reminder, something to listen to when we get caught up in the doldrums of life. We’re enough – in fact, we always have been, and we always will be. And this song makes it known and understood that this is a universal truth.

This has become one of my most favorite and consistently played songs; it’s become a song I’ve leaned on during challenging times, and one I play when my anxiety gets the best of me and my brain is moving a million miles per hour. It’s a song I play when my depression seems like it will never end, when I forget that I have a purpose in the world. When I hear it, I smile, and I remember that I am enough.

Regardless of what type of music you like, I encourage everyone reading this post to listen to music that stirs something in you and makes you feel things. This song helps me connect with myself, remember my place in the world, and remind me that I am, and always was, enough. And so are you.