When I asked my Twitter timeline if their listening habits had changed since March, I got hundreds of responses. Though it varied wildly from genre, moods, and frequency, everyone said they'd experienced some sort of upheaval in their relationship to music this year.

This isn't an abnormal experience, at least according to Jessica Pouranfar, music therapist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital. "The way we listen to music is extremely psychological and physiological," said Pouranfar.

These physiological responses are the center of Pouranfar's work as a music therapist treating patients with a variety of symptoms from stress, anxiety, physical pain, sleep deprivation, to Alzheimer's and other ailments through live music interventions and guided relaxation.

"It's important to listen to music that matches our state of being in tempo, in rhythm, in frequency, in volume, and in lyrics," Pouranfar said. The sweet spot is finding music that directly mirrors your mood and body and gradually changing it to improve your overall state.

Since March, what I listen to has been wildly inconsistent. We soundtrack our lives but I still had no idea why I have been listening to so much less music. Pouranfar reminded me that music can trigger memories that are good but painful to remember right now.

I'm slightly jealous of people who are able to use this time to discover new sounds and those who are able to just go back to their nostalgic favorites from childhood. For the latter, Pouranfar said, these memories conjure positive and cathartic experiences.

The way we listen in 2020 is in some respects a reflection of how we're coping with such a turbulent year. Are reaching for comfort food we know we already like? Are we using this time to expand our horizons? Whatever it is, it's a totally valid response to a difficult time.