What’s a Sony Walkman Got to Do With Mental Health?

You might be surprised by the answer. 

The Sony Walkman was revolutionary in its time: small, sleek, and endlessly portable. It transformed how people listened to music, offering freedom and intimacy in a way that had never been done before. But as new technologies came along, such as CDs, MP3 players, and streaming, the Walkman fell by the wayside.

Now, with cassette tapes making an unexpected comeback, people want to experience the nostalgic draw of cassettes again. 

But there’s an issue: the factories that made Walkman shut down long ago. It turns out it’s almost impossible to recreate something so elegant and well-designed with today’s technology. You can repair old ones, or piece together something similar, but it won’t ever be quite the same.

What Does This Have to Do With mental health?

This got me thinking about how we approach our own skills and abilities. When life changes, we often stop using the talents we once relied on. It’s not that these skills disappear- they’re still there, buried under layers of new experiences, but without the right “factory,” it can feel impossible to bring them back to life.

Therapy works a bit like finding a way to rebuild that factory. It’s not about perfectly recreating who you were in the past. It’s about taking what’s still there- your strengths, your skills, your forgotten abilities and finding ways to make them useful for the life you’re living now. Be kind, rewind. 

Pressing Play

Just like the Walkman, the things that once worked beautifully in your life might need a bit of repair, or even reinvention, to work for you again. Therapy can help you look at what’s been buried, make sense of it, and find ways to press “play” again, even if the music sounds somewhat different now.

If this connects with you, perhaps it’s time to see what forgotten ideas are still waiting in your own factory.