Stress is something that everyone experiences for many different reasons. A number of reasons could be involving school, work, money or just life in general at times. Being able to deal with stress can also be difficult if you can’t find something that alleviates your stressful day. Some people find different activities that help them relax and forget about the stress that they have like taking a bath, reading a book, yoga or just having some quiet time.
While there are many ways to cope, music can be an additional tactic to help relieve stress. Music has been around for decades and is a way for people to express themselves with different genres that range from jazz to country to rock; there is music out there for everyone to enjoy. During the day, people walk around with headphones in or are listening to their car radio. According to Forbes, “In 2016, Americans listened to an average of 26.6 hours of music per week, while the year prior, it was just 23.5 hours.” The numbers will only continue to grow while the latest new music comes out and with the numerous music playing apps that are popular.
Elizabeth Scott, a wellness coach, states in her article “Music can affect the body in many health-promoting ways, which is the basis for a growing field known as music therapy.” Music Therapy is “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” It can be used to express your feelings and manage your stress to help you relax when feeling stressed.
People may wonder how exactly music therapy works, but an article “The Science of Music Therapy” goes into detail about what music does to our brain. “Science has proven that music releases mood-enhancing chemicals into our body which music therapists can capitalize on to aid in the medical treatment of patients.” The vibrations can cause dopamine and endorphins inside our brain that cheer up and make us feel better. These chemicals are natural at making us feel good inside and are a huge pain reliever.
Scott also suggests making a separate playlist for each setting that you are in to set the mood of how you want to feel. For example, if you want to be calm and relax; very soothing classical music in the background might give you that peace. Or if you want to get in a pumped mood, any fast-paced dubstep might do the trick.
While people may think music therapy takes a long time to work, it only takes a small period of your day. Whenever you get stressed out, sometimes 10-15 minutes is all it takes to feel relaxed again. If practiced every day, it will become routine that you have your own time away from work or school to turn your favorite playlist on and see a decrease in your stress for the day.