By Mary Bodel
Whether you're soothing a small child with a lullaby or you're relaxing to a gentle string quartet, you've probably used music to reduce stress. It's a natural choice used for thousands of years. There are a lot of aspects of music that can cause this relaxation.
Making music is one way that it can help. Anything we do that is creative in nature will help. If you don't play an instrument or sing, perhaps you can draw or paint. Even cooking can give the creative release we need to keep our minds and emotions in order.
As I mentioned, we use lullabies for our children. Think back to the songs you chose to soothe a cranky baby or comfort a child after a bad dream. Most of them are slow and calming to the ears and more than just children respond to them. Adults and animals do, also.
When listening for relief, it's best to spend a little time getting things set up. Low lights, a soothing cup of tea and a nice recliner can add to the benefits and make it a special moment. It's even better if you can share it with your partner, a nice ending to a stressful day.
I've discovered something about "musak" as well. When I'm on hold, the music chosen for my listening pleasure has a big effect on how I feel when I finally get a human. If it's loud, strident and/or discordant, I'm not going to be in a good mood. If it's quiet and soothing, even if I'm calling to complain about something, it's easier to handle the conversation without lashing out. My favorite hold music, however, is none.
There are a lot of things we can use music for. Armies use it to help set the pace of the march. Rowers use it to help set the rhythm for the boat and composers use it to help enhance scenes for movies and television shows. I remember a young family member looking at his mother and saying, "I don't want to go in there, I hear danger music." He was three at the time, and already able to tell what that music was for.
As I mentioned in the description, music has another power, a negative one. Think about tribal war chants. We might not like the sound, but it fits the description. Many other types of music can also increase negative emotions. That is something to keep in mind when you are selecting what you want to listen to.
There is one animal I am not sure can be soothed by music. Our cat is very vocal and whenever we sing or play an instrument he is right there and very loud. Either he's trying to sing with us or he hates the sound. I think it's the latter, as he bites if we don't stop.
My eBook Home Remedies for Stress has much more information about stress and stress management. You can also download my free report, the Top Ten Herbs, which gives you information about the uses, side effects, precautions and even interactions of ten of the most popular herbs on the market.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Bodel
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5513199
