I make music, and rarely listen to recorded music.
Music is an important part of the intervention that saved my life. When I was depressed and suicidal, if I played with my friends, I could, temporarily, forget the depression, and actually be creative. So my therapist assigned me to do this.
When I’m mentally stable, music is my meditation. It is my way of getting out of my head, and into that other way of being. It is my spirituality, perhaps even my religion. It is how I connect to other people. It is how I feel known. It is the only thing that sometimes lets me serve others without worrying about what they think of me.