The Effects of Music on Stress and Anxiety
Everyone experiences stress and anxiety to some degree. In today’s fast-paced world, anxiety and stress have become very familiar concepts for many of us.
According to WHO, stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Anxiety is a normal emotion that causes increased alertness, fear, and physical signs, such as a rapid heart rate.
Stress and anxiety contribute to nervousness, poor sleep, high blood pressure, muscle tension, and excess worry and music has a powerful impact on the brain, particularly in reducing stress.
Let’s go into how music can reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental health.
Music is effective for relaxation and stress management: upbeat music can make one feel more optimistic and positive about life. A slower tempo can quiet one’s mind and relax their muscles, making them feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day.
Music has a remarkable ability to soothe our minds and relieve the burden of stress and anxiety : it offers a powerful outlet for expressing emotions and serves as a source of comfort during challenging times.
Music’s ability to decrease biological stress responses like heart rate and cortisol levels also helps tackle anxiety: listening to calming music can have a significant impact on our heart rate and blood pressure. It can induce a relaxation response in our bodies, leading to a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure levels.
When we listen to music, it can activate the pleasure centers in the brain, releasing dopamine and creating feelings of relaxation and happiness.
Music can be used as a therapeutic tool to not only reduce stress, but to also promote healing and improve one’s overall emotional well-being :use of music in addition to standard therapeutic tools provides additional restorative benefits for people with depression and anxiety, compared to those who received just therapy without the use of music.
Music can be an extremely useful tool for a wide range of audiences for stress relief since it is free or low-cost and readily available through a vast array of digital outlets.
Overall, music helps to reduce stress, relax the mind and improve one’s quality of life.
MiHI, a mental health organization passionately promotes the widespread adoption of music as a powerful tool for enhancing mental well-being in our community. I urge individuals of all ages – children, teenagers, young adults, and seniors – to recognize and embrace the profound positive impacts of music on their mental health and emotions, encouraging an open-minded approach to this transformative aspect of self-care.
By Iseoluwa Akinduko
For Music in Healthcare Initiative – MiHI