The Playlist That Helps Me 'Roar Louder' on Tough Days With EDS

Thriving with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome takes a lot of bravery, especially when you’re fighting comorbid mental health issues like I do. In times where I need that extra boost of courage, I turn to one of my favorite playlists. Music is its own form of therapy, and there’s no better way to lose yourself for awhile than in a good mix.

• What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?
• What Are Common Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Symptoms?

I call this playlist “Roar Louder,” because on my hardest pain days I have to remind myself to keep using my voice for positivity even over the loudest roar of my chronic pain, regardless of how much it hurts. Here are a few highlights:

1. “Wild One” by Lucky Rose feat. Tep No

“It’s a wild wild road/Road wherever we go”

Life is wild and even though everything around you might be spinning out of control, you will always still have yourself. There’s a safe place in that thought.

2. “Gold On the Ceiling” by The Black Keys

“They wanna get my/Gold on the ceiling”

There’s always going to be someone who wants to steal your shine. It’s up to you whether or not to plow ahead with a positive attitude and tune out the toxic voices around you.

3. “This is the Life” by Two Door Cinema Club

“This is the life, this is the life/This is the life, then who’d argue?”

It might not feel like the perfect life right now, but this is your life. You are free to do with it whatever you please, to dream big with it, to change the world with it. Think bigger.

4. “Soul is Fire” by Elliot Root

“Maybe your soul is fire/here I watch as you fire down/take your time now/it’s always fire.”

You may not feel powerful, but don’t neglect tending the fire of your heart. The right people will be attracted to your soul-fire and never leave.

5. “Weak” by AJR

“But I’m weak/and what’s wrong with that?”

I’m a perfectionist at heart. Weakness is part of the balance of life; no one person can be strong all the time.

6. “Glory and Gore” by Lorde

“You could try and take us/but we’re the gladiators/everyone a rager/but secretly they’re saviors.”

We all have battles we’re fighting. Keep fighting the good fight even though it might not be pretty.

7. “Are You With Me – Radio Edit” by Lost Frequencies

“I wanna dance by water ‘neath the Mexican sky/drink some margaritas by a string of blue lights/listen to the mariachi play at midnight/are you with me?”

I love traveling, but my chronic pain hinders me from going all the places I’d like to be able to go. This song helps me keep my travel dreams alive.

8. “Nothing Ordinary” by East of Eli

“There are times/when time stands still/hope sustains/and love rebuilds/when all those tears we cried just fade with the sun.”

Every aspect of this song I find incredibly inspiring. Hope and love are sometimes the only things we can cling to in this life to get us through a period of darkness. Life is messy but “there’s nothing ordinary about this life.”

If things around you feel dark, I hope these songs help light your inner fire and help you keep pressing on. You got this.