If you are a music lover and suffering from anxiety, then you will love reading this post! New research reveals about a single song that reduces anxiety by 65%! Can you guess the song?
The problem of anxiety is growing by leaps and bounds in the United States, affecting around 40 million adults age 18 and older. Sigmund Freud addressed the disorder in 1926, but today anxiety is in the air. The majority of youth worldwide is suffering from some sort of anxiety.
Anxiety is the feeling of fear of what’s to come and is a natural response to stress. You may feel anxious when going to date for the first time or starting a business or because it’s your wedding day. And, that’s quite normal and common for everyone.
However, some people feel overly anxious about everything in life. It is a matter of serious concern if you are experiencing intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about your daily activities and day to day situations.
Anxiety disorder is very debilitating and can hamper your personal and professional life significantly. Millions of people are poor quality of life because of feelings of dread, loss of control about every aspect of their life. Anxiety is a treatable disorder, but only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment. Most people rely on prescription medication, while some try natural remedies like meditation, yoga, and other relaxation techniques.
There is no single remedy that works for all because there are an array of factors that can lead to anxiety disorders. It includes genetics, social environment, personality, parenting, brain chemistry, early life experiences and many more.
How can music therapy lower anxiety?
Neuroscientists at Mindlab International in the United Kingdom conducted research to find out the type of music that can induce relaxation and calm an anxious mind. They recruited volunteers for the study who were asked to solve difficult quizzes so that it triggers a certain degree of stress. The increase in stress levels was tracked using sensors attached to the participant’s body.
Related: Neuroscience of Anxiety in the Bright Brain
The participants were further asked to listen to a range of songs followed in which the researchers measured their brain activity and change in vital signs like breathing rate, blood pressure, and heart rate.
The results were surprising because one song titled “Weightless.”, in particular, was found to reduce overall anxiety levels by 65% and reduced their physiological resting rates by 35%. This song boosts a greater state of relaxation than any other music tested to date.
This song by Marconi Union is known as wold’s most relaxing song and is used to calm patients before surgery. Musicians and a team of sound therapists worked together to create certain harmonies, rhythms, and bass lines to stir your soul and calm your nervous system. The song is filled with dreamy, mellow synths, soothing melodies and instrumentation composed of piano, guitar and electronic samples of natural soundscapes.
The UK band specifically composed this song to reduce anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate. Remarkable! Isn’t it?
The Rise Of Anxiety Disorders
Rachael Dove in Anxiety: the epidemic sweeping through Generation Y, mentioned that the alarming rise in anxiety disorders is due to excess exposure to technology, overprotective parents, loads of studies, and too many choices. People of Generation Y (those born in the 1980s and 1990s) suffer from too much desperation. According to Pieter Kruger, a London-based psychologist, says when you have too many choices, there is no one to blame but yourself. And, you are obsessed to make the right decision every time.
Related: When You Have Anxiety You Think Everyone Is Going To Leave You
Social media is also playing a great role in the rise of anxiety disorder. People post about everything (relationships, beauty, body shape, weight, wealth and the list goes on) happening in their life which initiated a comparison game. Teens and even adults compare every aspect of their life with the lives of others. Research has shown that spending excess time on social media and comparing your life with others can cause depression.
Feelings of isolation, low mood, low self-esteem are common in Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) students as they are exposed to the internet at a very young age. These students are more emotionally fragile and dissatisfied in life than students in the past because they view the world as what the internet shows it to be instead of how the world as it actually is. This trend has given the rise in anxiety along with other mental health issues.
Related: Music Therapy for depression – how can it heal you?
There is a growing body of research on the effectiveness of music therapy in reducing anxiety and depression. You may try the ‘Weightless’ song that reduces anxiety and help yourself. However, don’t skip medicines and treatment!
Click below to listen to the song – Weightless:
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