How to use music as a stress management tool
Researchers confirmed that music can have psychophysiological effects on us. Slowed heart rate and respiration rate, and skin conductance in order to relax our mind and body are the effects of music with a slower tempo. Likewise, listening to calming music boosts the production of Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins in your brain regions that helps to elevate your overall mood.
There are many great advantages to listening to music. Along with making you calm and composed, it can also help boost your energy level, make your morning better, help you sleep, relieve your stress, and motivate people going through hard times.
Music doesn’t only have to be a song; it can be a series of beats and sounds of musical instruments like drums. Each piece of music can make a different psychological effect on us. As mentioned above, it can help elevate mood but sometimes it can even instill fear in us, for example, while watching a Horror movie.
Before discussing how music can become a stress management tool, let’s talk about some it benefits.
7 Ways to Use Music as Stress Management Tool
To see the positive effects of music in your life, you’re advised to regularly listen to music. As a part of music therapy, you can start making a habit of listening to music at different times of the day and activities.
Even better, put together a custom playlist on your smartphone or apps like Spotify to find the right music for any occasion.
Start your day with music
Listening to uplifting music or track while getting ready in the morning really helps to elevate the overall mood. By selecting the right music, you can set the tone for a lower-stress day.
Different people get up with different types of music. For some people, classical or instrumental music works wonders while others choose more upbeat music like “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie and “We will Rock You” by Queens. Whatever works for you, make it a practice to listen to your favorite music after getting off of the bed.
During a commute
Whatever the length of your commute is, you can switch to your favorite music with earphones on. Listening to soothing music helps pass commute time easily. It also helps to avoid any ruckus, loud sounds, and unpleasant moments like two people fighting.
People who often embark on a few hours of commute every day can really benefit from listening to music. You’ll arrive at your destination with less or no stress level.
While Cooking
Cooking is a therapy in itself. Mix it with the right music, your entire time in the kitchen will become complete music therapy. Many people prefer listening to jazz or a similar genre of music when cooking meals. The mood set by the music is perfect to experiment with different kinds of food items.
If you often feel bored while cooking, turn on the music to make you relaxed and get into the zone.
While Eating
Like when cooking a meal, you should listen to music while eating. Soothing music can trigger the relaxation response, which can lower cortisol levels, making it easier to digest food.
Be careful about turning on the upbeat music genre that might make you eat faster. Ensure to chew food slowly. Jazz and Blue can help you with this.
While Cleaning
Cleaning home can often become a boring chore. If you accompany cleaning with music, you can actually benefit from it.
You can make cleaning interesting by turning on lively music. If you throw on some energetic music like Hip-Hop or Pop, you can raise your energy level while cleaning.
While studying
Studying doesn’t necessarily have to be in complete silence. If you accompany your study with music that helps you concentrate, you can remember things easily.
Classical music pieces of Chopin and Mozart have reported having helped build concentration in children.
The Mozart effect is a theory popularized by a 1993 study concluding that listening to classic music, especially Mozart, can help boost your children’s IQ and cognition.
Before going to bed
If you suffer from insomnia and stress response-related sleeping disorder, then music can be your savior. Listening to relaxing music can directly influence your stress hormones and help with relaxation techniques to improve your sleep quality. Make it a habit to listen to sleep-inducing music every night to ensure the 8hr of quality sleep.
8 Major Benefits of Listening to Music
We talked about different ways of listening to music. Now, let’s talk about the proven benefits of listening to music.
When listening to music, it’s essential to choose a type of music that helps bring positive change within us. Here are some of the proven benefits of music.
It Improves Mood
Listening to relaxing music is linked with reducing the level of Cortisol, a hormone that contributes to stress and anxiety. It can help elevate happiness, and regulate healthy emotions.
It Reduces Stress Responses
Listening to classical music before going to surgery, exam, or sports has helped to reduce stress responses and perform better.
It Lessens Anxiety
People suffering from anxiety are often suggested to join relaxation music therapy like sound bath, forest therapy, and nature sounds where they can listen to the calming sound produced by nature.
It Helps with Exercise
Music helps boost mental health and concentration. This can help with regular exercising and reduce physical ailments, illness, and other issues.
It increases happiness
Listening to relaxing music produces Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins in your brain regions. These four chemicals are associated with creating a feeling of happiness and joy.
It Improves Sleep Quality
People suffering from insomnia or uneven sleep pattern can enjoy quality sleep by listening to sleep-inducing music. Relaxing music can directly influence your hormones and help with relaxation techniques to improve your sleep quality.
It helps to ease pain
A study carried out on patients recovering from surgery reported that listening to music before, during, or after surgery-induced less pain.
It helps with Depression
Music is considered a natural antidepressant. Certain music and sounds can help release serotonin and dopamine chemical into your brain and reduce blood pressure to help boost feelings of happiness and well-being.
Here is the detail info graphics on how to use music as a stress management tool
10 Stress Relief Music
Here are 10 of the most relaxing songs in the world with the ability to reduce stress response levels by 65%, according to research conducted by British scientists.
1. 10. “We Can Fly,” by Rue du Soleil (Café Del Mar)
2. 9. “CanzonettaSull’aria,” by Mozart
3. 8. “Someone Like You,” by Adele
4. 7. “Pure Shores,” by All Saints
5. “Please Don’t Go,” by Barcelona
6. “Strawberry Swing,” by Coldplay
7. 4. “Watermark,” by Enya
8. 3. “Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix),” by DJ Shah
9. 2. “Electra,” by Airstream
1. “Weightless,” by Marconi Union
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