Almost always does the trick! But you have to have time to kill.
The way I see it is like rescuing someone stuck on the ocean floor. You can't just bring them up! Your body has to adjust to the changing pressure. Slowly and slowly you change the mood, allowing time to ease in.
But yes: you really do have to have some time to kill, and it can be tricky to set up an environment in which a sustained, unpressured conversation can occur.
(What you are describing with your playlists sounds like the soul of DJing. Perhaps you might try playing with a controller sometime, if you haven't done so already.)
There is one mood transition halfway through that I’m not too sure about, but otherwise I’m happy with how the mix came out from a technical perspective.
I have playtested it over the years during dark times and it seems to help. Perhaps others will find it cathartic as well.
I think it helps me to feel all of my feelings which eventually gets me out of my rut. I find it comforting to have my mood matched.
Here's my playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOd-rz8lDXQ&list=PLhMrEC5L8T...
Coincidentally, the first song, "Quiet Times" is about being in a relationship with someone that is depressed.
https://www.lukeschaefer.dev/2019/04/scuba-rescue-playlists....
Could you please check into that?
(Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place)
It would be great if you shared your playlists in any way!