How Blake Shelton’s Music Helps Me Cope With My Disability

I was first introduced to country music at age 13 when I started listening to it with a friend. I’ve loved it ever since, mainly because it was different from most of the music I was used to. Before I discovered country, I mostly listened to Biggie Smalls, Salt ‘N’ Pepa, and Tupac, so country music was quite a change.

I love country music because you’re basically listening to a story that teaches a life lesson. The song lyrics are deep, too. But even though I love country music in general, one country artist in particular has greatly impacted my life: Blake Shelton.

Blake Shelton’s music has helped through some of the toughest days with my disability, cerebral palsy. I’ve had to go to many different specialists to find the answers to all my health-related issues, which always gets emotional and can be heartbreaking. But once I put on my headphones and hear the beginning to my favorite album, ”Blake Shelton,” I escape from my reality and enter a world of happiness.

I hear the lyrics blast through my headphones:

She left without leavin’ a number
Said she needed to clear her mind
He figured she’d gone back to Austin
‘Cause she talked about it all the time
It was almost a year before she called him up
Three rings and an answering machine is what she got.

When I hear the song, all of my muscles relax, and the massive pain through the left side of my body becomes less intense. I hear the story of a boy who didn’t give up on the girl of his dreams and remember that I shouldn’t give up, despite my struggles.

Blake Shelton’s music has helped me keep my head up when doctor’s don’t give me the best news about my health. Those realities of living with a medical condition make me feel trapped sometimes, but as soon as I turn on Blake Shelton, he takes me to a happier place.

If you’re struggling in life, turn on your favorite music. It just might take away your pain, just like it does for me.