Ever sung at the top of your lungs to some tunes in the car and felt pretty good afterwards? There’s a good reason for it (and keep it up!). Music has been a remedy for stress since the beginning of time. It is through music that cultures throughout history have expressed feelings and communicated with others. Often thought of purely entertainment, music is actually also incredibly useful for our wellbeing. Listening (and singing along) to some of your favourite songs can reduce stress levels when at work, at home, or on the road.. anywhere!
An April 2019 Australian study showed in general, only 5% of Australians consider themselves stress-free, but after listening to one of their most loved songs, an impressive 74% said they felt less stress than usual(!) (The Guardian)
Why is this? Music positively impacts our physiological response. According to Nicole Leatherman from the Chopra Institute “ Music connects with the automatic nervous system—brain function, blood pressure, and heartbeat—and the limbic system, where your feelings and emotions live. If you feel threatened, your nervous system releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Listening to music can switch the stress response to “off” and help your mind and emotions recover from stress faster than they would without music” (chopra.com). Singing along to music can be a great release of tension (Psych Central).
Research from the University of Nevada suggests checking out classical music, Celtic, traditional Indian music (stringed instruments, drums and flutes), light jazz; or sounds of rain, thunder and nature. But don’t force it (!). Music taste is very personal. So it’s best to work out what works for you. Could be anything really (from some Tibetan gongs, to belting out a tune on Triple J). As long as you can feel the constant agitation in the mind release, and your body and mind begin to ground and calm down in the present.
There’s a good list to check out here, and also of course good ol’ Spotify 🙂
Enjoy!
The Stable Team.