One of the simplest ways to deal with stress is listening to music. What’s so nice about music listening is it’s practically cost-free and can be tailored to suit your particular needs and preferences. This stress-buster is capable of keeping your mind preoccupied and at the same time has the amazing ability to alter your mood. No matter if you prefer to tune in to the radio, switch on a pocket music player or play tracks saved on your smartphone, listening to music can help provide stress relief no matter where you are or regardless of the time of the day.
Music can be employed in many different ways to help soothe your nerves, letting you relax both your body and mind. It is completely up to your personal liking or situation to use music in a beneficial manner. Below you will find some excellent suggestions on how you can take advantage of music to keep your stress levels to a bare minimum.
Rouse Yourself with Soothing Music
It can be very stressful to be jolted awake by the loud sound of an alarm clock right next to your ears. A better idea to gently rouse yourself is by using your smartphone as an alarm clock. If it doesn’t let you pick a song as an alarm sound, fret not. You can simply download or install an alarm app which plays the song of your choice when it goes off in the morning. Certainly, you should pick a song that can make your mornings seem brighter.
Sing Your Heart Out
Other than simply listening to music, you can actually sing to it! There is no need to worry whether or not you sound good — it will only make you feel more stressful rather than relaxed. What matters is you engage your lungs, which can help encourage proper breathing and promote relaxation. Don’t know the words to the song? Hum! Do make sure that you opt for feel-good and upbeat songs rather than ditties about broken hearts.
Have It Playing in the Background
If the office permits, feel free to play some music in the background. Just make sure that it’s not loud enough to keep your officemates from focusing on their respective tasks. The perfect background music can help mask the usual workplace noises, thus allowing you to concentrate on your responsibilities at hand. Music playing in the background is also perfect while you are doing household chores like cooking, laundering or bathing the dogs.
Play Traffic-Stopping Tunes
Starting to bring your stress levels down while you’re on your way home from work is a great idea. Switch on the radio if you are driving to keep your mind of the nasty traffic jam. If you’re in a bus or train, feel free to put on your earphones and play some of your favorite tracks saved on your smartphone. There is nothing you can do to ease that traffic, but you can surely change your mood for the better with the help of music.
Move to the Beat
We all know that exercising is not only good for eliminating excess pounds, but also zapping stress. That is why dancing to some upbeat music when you’re stressed out is a phenomenal idea. Swaying to the beat allows you to burn both calories and heightened stress levels. You don’t have to be a good dancer to go for this stress-buster — just flail your arms, tap your feet, bob your head and sway your hips from side to side and you’re golden!
Learn to Play a Musical Instrument
Embracing a new hobby is also a wonderful way to combat stress. Why not try learning to play a musical instrument which allows you to soothe your frayed nerves and at the same time express your emotions creatively? Buy a portable organ, harmonica, banjo or violin, and hire a tutor or simply watch instructional videos online. Put in your mind that you are playing that instrument for fun and expression, and not to become a pro which could only stress you out.
