I have a problem making Spotify playlists.

Counting and taking into account short playlists that honestly qualify more as faux playlists, I have around more than 40 on my account.

I have no doubt in my mind that the number will exponentially grow in the foreseeable future.

Some might consider this more than obsessive, but I firmly believe there’s a playlist for every occasion, moment, memory, and feeling. And for that, I’m thankful.

Listening to music is a stress reliever, but I think it would be a shame to water down how I feel about it to just that. Specifically, the process of making playlists allows me so much creative control over a medium of art I truly enjoy that reflects my identity. The end result and listening to playlists that I’ve created and curated is just another experience in and of itself, one that I would qualify as therapeutic.

The whole birth of a playlist from its conception and my vision for what I want it to sound like and express about myself and my feelings to its overall feel once executed is an investment of myself and understanding myself through music.

The beats, lyricism, content, artistic flair, and general vibe of a song can convey so much—so much about me and how I feel in a certain moment.

Categorizing playlists according to these qualities, and what emotions certain songs can rouse out of me is really such a powerful thing. In an instant, an old playlist can conjure up memories, feelings, and even my thought process at the time while constructing the playlist.

In essence, in some ways my playlists are a personalized scrapbook of me, documenting many aspects of my life, my experiences and memories, and my personality.

Recently, I’ve “dug up” some of my old playlists, listening to these old gems. The same feelings when I made them resurfaced, and it’s honestly amazing that I could bottle up and capture the same energy from before and be able to feel it now.

Playlists are amazing souvenirs of memories and emotions. They have the ability to take anyone into their past, and as such, they’re also perfect for self-reflection. Thus, I have a newfound appreciation for them as a tool not just for entertainment but for introspection.