What Music Means To Me & An Extra Special “Send Your Heart” Valentine’s Day Gift Idea

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I personally love music. I have playlists tailored towards different moods and can find songs that will energise me, calm me or simply make me happy. I confess that I even have a few songs that I will find myself crying along to on the days when chronic illness has got me down!

Music can be a great healer and it is a big passion of mine. It’s definitely a very useful coping mechanism that I keep in my chronic illness toolbox.

The most powerful aspect of music for me, however, is that it is a brilliant way to connect with those we love. I have so many good memories associated with music.

Though I can struggle with long-term memory at times due to brain fog, when certain songs come on the radio I can recall specific memories without missing a beat. I will tell you exactly what I was up to and more importantly who I was with.

As Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, I’ve found myself reflecting back on all the songs that make me think of my husband. There are so many and each can take me right back in time to a specific moment in time.

For example, I used to drive him mental on our dates to the cinema by insisting on playing Kasabian Fire on repeat for weeks on end! One Day Like This by Elbow transports me back to our amazing wedding day and fills me with all the emotion of it. Everlong by Foo Fighters makes me remember one of the most amazing gigs my husband ever took me to.

And rather hilariously– not that I hear it often– Nelly the Elephant reminds me of our first kiss. I’m not some weirdo that listens to children’s songs by the way, it just happened to come on in the club we were in and it resulted in the two of us bursting into fits of laughter!

We’ve never been a couple that celebrates Valentine’s Day in a traditional sort of way. We don’t usually exchange gifts or go out to dinner. We typically buy each other the least soppy card going (this year I’ve bought my husband a Star Wars card because I am that cool).

I would say though that– since falling ill– I do value Valentine’s Day more than I previously did. We should express our love to our nearest and dearest throughout the year, but I now view Valentine’s Day as an extra special opportunity to show my husband just how much he means to me.

On the theme of being a bit different, this year for Valentine’s Day I have had some fun with an app called ‘Send Your Heart’. You can download it on Android OR iOS! The app records your heart beat, then shows you what it sounds like set to music.

You can then send your actual heartbeat song to someone, along with a personalised message via email or a social media messaging service (such as Facebook messenger or Twitter direct message). Your recipient simply clicks on a link to view your message and listen to your heartbeat song.

It’s a message straight from the heart (pun intended!) and is a unique gift for Valentine’s Day. It’s a simple concept that is a cute way for those of us with chronic illness (or anyone else) to show our partners what they mean to us.

It’s quick, easy and free to use. All you need to do is hold your finger over your device’s camera and the app records your actual heartbeat. You then enter your name, the recipient’s name and your message before hitting send. You can also preview your song before sending. Whereas this can of course be super romantic if you are so inclined, I’ve actually had a good bit of fun with this app! Suffering from chronic fatigue means that I can easily exert myself from the simplest of tasks and this sets my heart racing.

I sent my husband two songs via the ‘Send Your Heartbeat’ app; one which was recorded when I was resting and my heart rate was low and another after I had literally just walked up the stairs and my heartbeat was going crazy.

The first song was definitely romantic music; it was very relaxing and felt uplifting. My heartbeat played on its own first, before being accompanied by slow, steady music that was pleasant to listen to. It definitely elicited a smile and an “aww” moment from my husband.

In comparison, the second song was more like a rave tune as my heartbeat was going so fast! I’m sure the wicked mad shapes that I was cutting with my arms as I lay recovering added to the hilarity. I had my husband in stitches!

I would highly recommend trying this app. Whether you’re an old romantic at heart, someone who likes to be thoughtful or you just have a good sense of humour, it’s something a little bit different and extra special that will brighten your Valentine’s Day this year.

Life is all about celebrating the small things and creating new memories. Music definitely plays a huge part of that for me and I think that’s why I enjoyed the ‘Send Your Heart’ app so much.

What do you think? Is this something you will be trying? Let me know in the comments down below.