We all know the feeling: Heart pounding, jaw tightening, racing thoughts, cold sweat, shallow breathing–and the list goes on.
Anxiety is a common experience for everyone. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that 19.1% of Americans were diagnosed with an actual anxiety disorder in the last year1. And it’s common knowledge that every healthy human experiences anxiety at some point throughout their life.
NOTE: If you or someone you know experiences chronic, severe anxiety, this article can help, but it is highly recommended that you seek clinical help to actually treat your anxiety. One option for this kind of help is the Neurology Associates Neuroscience Center in Mesa, AZ.
Whether you experience anxiety chronically or on an acute basis, there’s likely not a single person who actually enjoys the experience of anxiety. Most of us generally try to avoid it by distracting ourselves from it with whatever we can find. The problem with this is that it makes us less present in our lives and often deprives us of fully experiencing the other positive parts of our lives.
What’s more, anxiety isn’t going away. It’s a natural part of our lives that will always be there in some form, so we need to learn to live with it. But it can be so hard to deal with!
So why not make it easier?
I’m going to share with you the secret weapon for dealing with your anxiety.
This tool can make anxiety much easier to deal with, and can bring you down from your anxiety very quickly. Even better, it’s something that you probably already use every day.
The secret weapon is: Music!
Believe it or not, something as simple as a song you enjoy can take you from chaotic to calm in a matter of seconds!
In an article titled ‘How to create a stress-reducing playlist’, Jenni Rook, MT-BC, LCPC, from the Institute for Therapy Through the Arts says,
“you can use a playlist to combat stress, achieve relaxation, increase motivation, and evoke positive emotions.”
The speed, rhythms, instruments, lyrics, etc. all have an impact on our brains as we listen to them, and can cause the brain to generate positive emotions that help our minds and bodies to relax2.
Pretty amazing, right?
If you want to give this a try, Rook goes over step by step how to create your own stress-reducing playlist, which you can read more about here.
So the next time the all-too-familiar anxiety comes knocking, consider popping on a favorite tune, something relaxing or inspiring, and see how it works for you. You’ve got nothing to lose, and more peace to gain!
Author is Bryson Merkley
Sources:
Comments