Hands shaking. Chest pounding. Head spinning. Whenever I feel these signs, I try to ground my breathing. Then, I start jotting down words and phrases that associate with my experience. Tie it in with a good melody, so that I can express and understand what I felt. For most of my life, I have struggled with my mental health. From being told that I was useless from my parents to living in a society that is unkind to neurodivergent BIPOC individuals, I felt hopeless and tired. The one thing that kept me out of a dark headspace was creative expression through songwriting. Mental health care is not a one size fits all solution. With that said, creative expression can be proven to be a useful tool for people to express their inner turmoils in a healthy manner. Sometimes, being direct about how we are feeling can backfire, especially when words are not enough. By creating free workshops in accessible spaces that allow people to explore creative outlets at no cost, people can explore their internal dialogue in a safe space while knowing that they are not alone.

Moving is hard. Moving to the suburbs during your senior year in the middle of a pandemic is harder. Growing up in New York City, everything was within reach. So many things to do, all a train ride away. The people you meet are all a few minutes away. The fast-paced, diverse environment is all I've ever known. But when your family decides to move to the suburbs at the most crucial moment of your life, you are left with an empty feeling. As I unpack into a strange place, I decide to fill the void with music. The first song that comes on is Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York." To most who have been uprooted from everything they have ever known, it would feel like a punch in the gut. For me, that was not the case. The steady beat at the beginning of the song could easily fill in the empty spaces. They are followed by the welcoming orchestral instrumentals, which have a heart-lifting and freeing effect, as if all problems were washed away with a sense of thrill and excitement. This all makes sense when the song reflects Swift moving to New York. After all, moving to the city for a lot of people meant big changes and new experiences, alongside a fresh start, which the song does a great job emphasizing. "Welcome to New York" emphasizes the theme of starting over, which has always been relevant in my life. With moving to a new place months before heading off to college, it was a lot. Starting over has always been viewed as a taxing process as you meet new people and learn your way around the town or city. However, "Welcome to New York" teaches us to open ourselves up to new experiences the same way Swift did, whether it be moving to a big city or even going back to when she emerged as one of the biggest pop stars of our generation. Not to mention, her ode to NYC reflects on the things that make me want to return post-graduation. As 1989 was the start of something new for Swift, "Welcome to New York" is not only an ode to NYC that I listen to whenever I am away, but it is also the song that welcomes changes anywhere else. This fun, upbeat song will always remind me that no matter where I am, NYC will always be my home that I can return to.