Everyone suffers from a bit of stress in their daily life. Some stressful events every day are natural. We may be stressed when we have to do extra work, spend sleepless nights, worry about work or money, relationship trouble, or illness. Our body responds to these triggers and shows various signs, including increased heart rate, blood pressure levels, metabolism, and respiration rate. Once the stressor subsides, all the parameters come to normal levels.
How does our brain respond to stress?
Stress is a human’s physical and mental response when something dangerous or difficult to solve conditions happen. Our brain responds immediately to these stressors. The brain and other organs which helps fight stress are cumulatively known as the stress-response system.
When our body encounters any stress, the stress-response system becomes active, which initiates the Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). During stress, the brain activates the hypothalamus, which sends signals to the pituitary gland to release hormones. These hormones tell the adrenal glands to release cortisol hormone (stress hormone). The cortisol activates other body organs to prepare for stress in a fight or flight situation.
Once the stressor passes and the cortisol level decreases, our body comes into the restful stage. But if we suffer from continuous or long-term stress, there will be a constant state of flight and fight, and our body doesn’t rest, making symptoms worsen. You can feel tiredness, memory problem, low energy throughout the day, sleeplessness, and various physical symptoms.
How to control stress?
Too much stress can impact our daily routine and relationships hugely. To restore the calamity of stressful life, you should try the following tips:
- Eat a healthy balanced diet
- Daily physical activities can help release feel-good hormones (mainly endorphins) and reduce stress and depression.
- Get a relaxing sleep, which improves mood, concentration level, memory, and other bodily functions.
- Be creative to divert your attention from stressors
- Engaging yourself in more relaxation therapies, such as dancing, laughing, or listening to music. These methods uplift mood instantly and enhance emotional and mental well-being.
- You can get professional counselors and therapists to help cope with stress.
Let’s dig more into how music can help in stress management.
Power of music in stress management
Music impacts our emotions and improves overall mental and physical well-being. According to various researches, music (around 60 beats per minute) can cause our brain to link with the music beat and induce the release of alpha brainwaves, which helps us relax and induce sleep.
Listening to calming music changes our brain functioning similarly to medications. Faster music pumps up our alertness and concentration level. Music stimulates our brain to release Dopamine (a feel-good hormone) in our body. A good level of dopamine hormone in our body can feel us happy, content, energized, and motivated. It also helps improve our physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness.
Music can be a powerful tool for stress relief, as when music plays, our mind synchronizes with music, and we’ll cut from the other depressive thoughts. Music therapy with other therapeutic methods is beneficial for people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
How we can use music for stress relief
Music is an effective tool for stress relievers and is widely available on many digital platforms. We can use it while doing regular activities without sparing extra time. People who listen to music find more enjoyment in their daily activities and handle stressors more effectively. We can use music in many ways to reduce stress, including:
- Morning workout: While doing your morning or evening workout, play some fast music, which pumps up more Dopamine release and elevates your mood.
- Getting ready: When getting ready for your workplace, play some music. It helps you keep calm and focused and provides extra energy for your big day.
- During traveling: Playing your favorite music while traveling reduces stress from commute or traffic and helps you get ready for the whole day’s stressors.
- While cooking: A great music that you enjoy makes cooking a fun activity rather than a burdensome task. You feel relaxed and happier, which can cause you to enjoy your food more.
- Cleaning: A well-organized home helps reduce stress levels, but it requires plenty of effort, which is a troublesome chore. So, play some energetic songs to increase your energy level and have fun while cleaning.
- Having a hard time: When you experience difficulty dealing with a stressful situation, plug in your favorite song and fight the stressor with more energy.
Listening to music has a positive influence on human health and well-being. So, participate in music activities with your friends and encounter its benefits in reducing stress.