Relaxing Music - Meditation Music

A Healthy Stress Management Tool

Why and How Music Aids Relaxation

With all the ways music affects your body, you can probably already clearly see
how music can be used as an effective relaxation and stress management tool. In
addition to the many physical changes that music can bring (which I list in this
article on music and music therapy), music is especially helpful in relaxation and
stress management because it can be used in the so many ways. Here are some of
the most important ways that music can help with stress management.

Music and Physical Relaxation

Music can promote relaxation of tense muscles, enabling you to easily release
some of the tension you carry from a stressful day (or week). When you relax your
muscles and loosen your body, your mind also relaxes, which can help you to
reduce plenty of tension and stress that you may not have realized you were
carrying.

Music is a simple and fun way to let all the tension just drain away.

Music as an Aid in Stress Relief Activities

Meditation music can help you get ‘into the zone’ when practicing yoga, self-
hypnosis or guided imagery, can help you feel energized when exercising, help
dissolve the stress when you’re soaking in the tub, and be a helpful part of many
other stress relief activities. It can take an effective stress reliever and make it even
more effective!
Music and a Meditative State
As mentioned before, music can help your brain get into a meditative state, which
carries wonderful stress relief benefits with it. For those who find meditation
intimidating, listening to music can be an easier alternative. Music is easy for kids
to enjoy, too, so while meditation may be challenging to teach to your kids, putting
on the right music can be a way to ease them into a more meditative state without
their completely realizing it.

Music to Promote a Positive Focus

Music, especially upbeat tunes, can take your mind off what stresses you, and help
you feel more optimistic and positive. This helps release stress and can even help
you keep from getting as stressed over life’s little frustrations in the future. An
uplifting song can also bring the benefits of positive affect, which can empower
you to notice more opportunities and seize them when you can, which can also
help with stress relief. (And while we're on the topic of uplifting music, some
happy songs practically force you to dance to them, and this type of exercise can
be great for stress management, too!)

Music and Affirmations

The way you see the world and the type of self-talk you habitually use can also
have a profound effect on your stress level, which is why positive affirmations that
create more positive self-talk are so helpful. Music that has affirming lyrics can
bring the double benefit of music and positive affirmations, helping you to
surround yourself with positive energy and more often look on the bright side,
letting stressful events more easily roll off your back.

These are some of the reasons that music is one of the easiest and most effective
relaxation tools available, and music is such a great stress management tool to add
to your everyday life.
How Listening to Music Can Have
Psychological Benefits

Listening to music can be entertaining, and some research suggests that it might
even make you healthier. Music can be a source of pleasure and contentment, but
there are many other psychological benefits as well. Music can relax the mind,
energize the body, and even help people better manage pain.

The notion that music can influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
probably does not come as much of a surprise. If you've ever felt pumped up while
listening to your favorite fast-paced rock anthem or been moved to tears by a
tender live performance, then you easily understand the power of music to impact
moods and even inspire action.

The psychological effects of music can be powerful and wide-ranging. Music

therapy is an intervention sometimes used to promote emotional health, help
patients cope with stress, and boost psychological well-being. Some research even
suggests that your taste in music can provide insight into different aspects of your
personality.

1. Music Can Improve Cognitive Performance

Research suggests that background music, or music that is played while the
listener is primarily focused on another activity, can improve performance on
cognitive tasks in older adults. One study found that playing more upbeat music
led to improvements in processing speed, while both upbeat and downbeat music
led to benefits in memory.
So the next time you are working on a task, consider turning on a little music in the
background if you are looking for a boost in your mental performance. Consider
choosing instrumental tracks rather than those with complex lyrics, which might
end up being more distracting.

2. Music Can Reduce Stress

It has long been suggested that music can help reduce or manage stress. Consider
the trend centered on meditative music created to soothe the mind and inducing
relaxation. Fortunately, this is one trend supported by research. Listening to music
can be an effective way to cope with stress.
In one 2019 study, participants took part in one of three conditions before being
exposed to a stressor and then taking a psychosocial stress test. Some participants
listened to relaxing music, others listened to the sound of rippling water, and the
rest received no auditory stimulation.
The results suggested that listening to music had an impact on the human stress
response, particularly the autonomic nervous system. Those who had listened to
music tended to recover more quickly following a stressor.

3. Music Can Help You Eat Less

One of the most surprising psychological benefits of music is that it might be a
helpful weight-loss tool. If you are trying to lose weight, listening to mellow music
and dimming the lights might help you achieve your goals.
The researchers suggest that music and lighting help create a more relaxed setting.
Since the participants were more relaxed and comfortable, they may have
consumed their food more slowly and have been more aware of when they began
to feel full.
You might try putting this into practice by playing soft music at home while you
eat dinner. By creating a relaxing setting, you may be more likely to eat slowly
and, therefore, feel fuller sooner.
 4. Music Can Improve Your Memory
Lots of students enjoy listening to music while they study, but is that such a
great idea? Some feel like listening to their favorite music as they study improves
memory, while others contend that it simply serves as a pleasant distraction.
Research suggests that it may help. But it depends upon a variety of factors,
including the type of music, the listener's enjoyment of that music, and even how
musically well-trained the listener may be. In one study, musically naive students
learned better when listening to positive music, possibly because these songs
elicited more positive emotions without interfering with memory formation.
However, musically trained students tended to perform better on learning tests
when they listened to neutral music, possibly because this type of music was less
distracting and easier to ignore. If you tend to find yourself distracted by music,
you may be better off learning in silence or with neutral tracks playing in the
background.

5. Music Can Help Manage Pain

Research has shown that music can be very helpful in the management of pain.
One study of fibromyalgia patients found that those who listened to music for just
one hour a day experienced a significant reduction in pain compared to those in a
control group.
At the end of the four-week study period, participants who had listened to music
each day experienced significant reductions in feelings of pain and depression.
Such results suggest that music therapy could be an important tool in the treatment
of chronic pain.
While listening to music at any point in time was effective, the researchers noted
that listening to music pre-surgery resulted in better outcomes. The review looked
at data from more than 7,000 patients and found that music listeners also required
less medication to manage their pain. There was also a slightly greater, though not
statistically significant, improvement in pain management results when patients
were allowed to select their own music.
 6. Music May Help You Sleep Better
Insomnia is a serious problem that affects people of all age groups. While there
are many approaches to treating this problem, research has demonstrated that
listening to relaxing classical music can be a safe, effective, and affordable
remedy.
In a study looking at college students, participants listened to classical music, an
audiobook, or nothing at all at bedtime for three weeks. Researchers assessed sleep
quality both before and after the intervention.

7. Music Can Improve Motivation

There is a good reason why you find it easier to exercise while you listen to
music. Researchers have found that listening to fast-paced music motivates people
to work out harder.
One experiment designed to investigate this effect tasked 12 healthy male students
with cycling on a stationary bike at self-paced speeds. On three different trials, the
participants biked for 25 minutes at a time while listening to a playlist of six
different popular songs of various tempos.
Unknown to the listeners, the researchers made subtle differences to the music and
then measured performance. The music was left at a normal speed, increased by
10%, or decreased by 10%.
Speeding up the tracks resulted in increased performance in terms of distance
covered, the speed of pedaling, and power exerted. Conversely, slowing down the
music's tempo led to decreases in all of these variables.8
So if you are trying to stick to a workout routine, consider loading up a playlist
filled with fast-paced tunes that will help boost your motivation and enjoyment of
your exercise regimen.
 8. Music Can Improve Mood
Another of the science-backed benefits of music is that it just might make you
happier. In one examination of the reasons why people listen to music, researchers
discovered that music played an important role in relating arousal and mood.
Participants rated music's ability to help them achieve a better mood and become
more self-aware as two of the most important functions of music.
Another study found that intentionally trying to boost moods by listening to
positive music could have an impact within two weeks. Participants were
instructed to purposefully attempt to improve their mood by listening to positive
music each day for two weeks.
Other participants listened to music but were not directed to become happier
intentionally. When participants were later asked to describe their own levels of
happiness, those who had intentionally tried to improve their moods reported
feeling happier after just two weeks.

9. Music May Reduce Symptoms of Depression

Researchers have also found that music therapy can be a safe and effective
treatment for a variety of disorders, including depression. One study found that
music therapy was a safe, low-risk way to reduce depression and anxiety in
patients suffering from neurological conditions such as dementia, stroke, and
Parkinson's disease.

10. Music Can Improve Endurance and Performance

Another important psychological benefit of music lies in its ability to boost
performance. While people have a preferred step frequency when walking and
running, scientists have discovered that the addition of a strong, rhythmic beat,
such as fast-paced musical track, could inspire people to pick up the pace.11
Runners are not only able to run faster while listening to music; they also feel more
motivated to stick with it and display greater endurance. The ideal tempo for
workout music is somewhere between 125 and 140 beats per minute.
So, why does music boost workout performance? Listening to music while
working out lowers a person's perception of exertion. You're working harder, but it
doesn't seem like you're putting forth more effort. Because your attention is
diverted by the music, you are less likely to notice the obvious signs of exertion
such as increased respiration, sweating, and muscle soreness.

How to Practice Music Meditation

Music has many wonderful benefits for stress management and overall health. It
can help you calm your physiology without making a conscious effort, and that can
alleviate stress from your mind. Music can also lift your mood, slow your
breathing, and create other stress-inducing changes.
Meditation is also one of the most popular stress management strategies for good
reason—it brings short-term benefits like a calm mind and body, and it can build
resilience toward stress over time. Combining music with meditation can deepen
the positive effects of both, and bring you greater stress relief.
As an added bonus, for many people who are beginners to meditation, or who are
perfectionists, music meditation can feel simpler and more instantly relaxing than
other forms of practice. It's a stress relief technique anyone can use. With regular
practice, this meditation can help you to better manage whatever stress comes.

Time Required
While 20 minutes is a good minimum time for music medication, even one song
can help reduce stress and restore energy.
Instructions for Music Mediation
1. Choose meditation music that can help you relax. This means finding
music that you enjoy listening to—if you don’t enjoy classical music, for
example, don’t choose it. You should also look for music that has a slower
tempo, and preferably without lyrics, which can be distracting and can
engage your conscious mind—the part of your mind that we hope to slow
down.

2. Get into a comfortable position and relax. Many people think they need to
sit with their legs crossed a certain way or use a meditation cushion, but
really, whatever position you feel is comfortable is the position you should
try. Some people avoid lying down because they fall asleep this way if
they're tired; you can experiment and decide what's right for you. Once
you've found your position, close your eyes, relax your muscles, and breathe
through your diaphragm. Let your shoulders, your belly, and even the
muscles in your face relax. Breathe in deeply through your nose, gently
expanding your belly rather than your chest, then exhale through your
mouth.

3. Stay focused on the music. If you find yourself thinking about other things
(or even thinking thoughts about the music), gently redirect your attention to
the present moment, the sound of the music, and the feelings in your body
that the music evokes. Try to really feel the music.

4. Continue this practice for several minutes, until your time runs out. As
thoughts come into your head, gently let them go and redirect your attention
to the sound of the music, the present moment, and the physical sensations
you feel. The goal of this practice is to quiet your inner voice and just ‘be’.
So just ‘be’ with the music, and fully immerse yourself, and you’ll feel more
relaxed fairly quickly.
Tips
1. You may want to start out with just a few songs and work your way up to
longer practice.
2. If you find the music brings lots of thoughts, memories, and internal
dialogue, switch to a different type of music. Instrumental music can come
in many forms, including classical, jazz, new age, and more, and it can be
less distracting than other types of music.
3. You can time your practice with the number of songs you choose so you
don’t have to worry if you are taking more time than you have.
4. If you find yourself ‘thinking too much’, don’t beat yourself up over it; this
is natural for those beginning meditation practice. Instead, congratulate
yourself on noticing the internal dialogue, and redirecting your attention to
the present moment.

Final Word
Meditation Music can inspire and entertain, but it also has powerful
psychological effects that can improve your health and well-being. Instead
of thinking of music as pure entertainment, consider some of the major
mental benefits of incorporating music into your everyday life. You might
find that you feel more motivated, happy, and relaxed as a result