If you use music to help you feel better after a bad day, you’re not alone. Music can make us feel happy, sad, and every emotion in between. But did you know that it can also help you relieve stress?
If you constantly feel tense and stressed out, that could be having physical effects on your body. Being too stressed out can actually weaken your immune system and make you more likely to get sick.
We can’t always remove the stressor from our lives, but we can figure out the best way to manage our stress. Here are eight ways to use calming music for stress relief.
1. Listen to Classical Music
Studies show that listening to classical music can actually help your body relax faster than listening to other stimuli. If you want to reduce your stress quickly, pumping classical music through your headphones is actually a good place to start.
If you’re studying or trying to learn new information, classical music can also help you focus while relieving the study-associated stress. Since there are no lyrics, there aren’t any words that will distract you from what you’re trying to read.
This is also great music to listen to while you’re meditating. Instead of distracting you, the music will play in the background while you focus in on your own thoughts.
2. Combine Nature and Music
Many people listen to nature sounds to relax, too. That’s why it’s so common to see recordings of ocean waves or thunderstorms for sale to help people sleep.
The sounds on their own can be soothing, but when they’re combined with calming music, the effects on your body are even more positive. The best genres to combine with the sounds of nature are things like easy listening, jazz, and (again) classical music.
If you don’t want to go straight classical music, this combination could work well for you.
3. Try New Genres
Classical isn’t the only genre that’s helpful for relaxation. Indian, Celtic and Native American music have all been proven helpful for people trying to relieve some tension at the end of the day.
Light string music can be fantastic to help your body unwind. The music from these three cultures uses a lot of stringed instruments, which makes them perfect to listen to for stress relief.
If you’re not already familiar with them, they could even introduce you to a new type of music you hadn’t considered before.
4. Start Your Day Right
Aside from what types of music to listen to, how else can music help with stress relief?
One way is to start your day off on the right foot. Being mindful about the way you start your morning can put you in a good mood for the rest of your day.
Think about it. If you start the day unhappy, rushed, and stressed, you’ve already sent your brain a message that that’s how the rest of the day is going to go. You might find yourself in a worse mood than usual for no apparent reason.
If you start your day with music you love, though, putting yourself in a good mood, you’ll have a smile on your face as you walk out the door.
5. Calm Your Commute
You’ll need to keep that good mood going as you commute to school or work. If you drive, it’s easy to get stressed out with all the other drivers on the road. Rush hour traffic is an especially rage-inducing time.
This would be a great time to play some classical music or a playlist of songs that you know make you feel happy. This can stop you from getting too stressed out as you drive.
If you walk at any point of your commute, high-tempo songs can actually help you walk faster and get your heart rate up.
6. Play Music at Bedtime
If you notice that you lay awake for ages before being able to fall asleep, stress might be the cause. Lots of people feel like they can’t turn their minds off at bedtime because they’re spending so much time thinking about other areas of their lives.
When it’s time to wind down, the music you play should switch gears, too. Playing calming music when it’s time to get ready bed and as you fall asleep can help you relax after a long day.
Plus, getting a good night’s sleep will help you feel less stressed in the morning.
7. Sing Along
It doesn’t matter how well you can sing — whenever you’re in the right situation, sing along!
Singing along to the words of a good song (especially at the top of your longs) can release pent-up energy and tension in your body. It’s why belting out a song while driving in a car feels so good.
As long as you make sure that the volume isn’t so high it will damage your hearing, sing along as much and as loudly as you want. See how much better you feel afterward.
8. Listen to Music You Like
Finally, there’s really no substitute for just listening to the music that you like. Doing what makes you happy can put you in a better mood and help improve your outlook on the day. There’s no article that can tell you what’s going to make you happy.
Whether you love Top 40 pop music or classic rock, make a playlist full of the songs you love and listen to them when you’re having a bad day. It’s not your imagination — your favorite music really is helping you feel better.
Sing your way to a better, less stressed you.
Discover More Tips Like Calming Music for Stress Relief
The next time you feel stressed, reach for your headphones. Taking five minutes to sit and focus on the music can really help you loosen up!
Playing calming music is just one method to relieve stress. There are lots of potential methods that you can use to relax, focus, and become the best version of yourself.
Continue your positive journey by discovering even more ways to take your self-improvement to the next level.