How to overcome everyday stress with music

We may not admit it, but work has, somehow, become the most important thing in our lives. Now everything we love needs to be aligned according to the diktats of the job we keep for a living. Sometimes, the work one does brings happiness. Such kind of work is predominantly art-related, or charity-related, where the income is not steady or sure. But the majority of us work to make money, not just for ourselves but for the corporations and their shareholders too. Naturally, stress levels are high for corporate soldiers.

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Music is a great way to overcome stress—be it stress on the road, or stress at the office (the two places most humans end-up spending their lives these days). Technology has made it easy to store and carry music. We can practically listen to music round the clock. With headphones, you won't even disturb the silence.

However, listening to music continuously can have its effects. Some of them may be unpleasant. Constant exposure to loud music affects hearing abilities. But beyond the physical implications, music has profound effects on your mind. The mind and its state are critical to the way a day unfolds. If you start the day in a dull mood, you probably would make more mistakes than on a day when you were in a great mood.

Music has the power to alter moods. We can use music as a tool to manage our day effectively just by listening to the right kind of music to complement and enhance our mental activity.

Research shows that listening to music causes the brain to make new and interesting connections between the random bits of stored data in our mind. And this helps us see things in a new light, solve problems creatively, and acquire a higher level of understanding of life.

If listening to music could have such wonderful effects, how much more beneficial would it be to play music? To play music, one can either choose to learn it the usual way or with careful observation, gain the understanding of rhythms and tones and just start creating music with whatever is available around.

Having a small guitar at work is a great idea. It helps you pick up the chords, one by one; and soon, you learn to play the guitar. The steady process of learning a musical instrument sharpens the brain. Also, gently strumming the strings and watching yourself improve the tone each day can be a great confidence enhancer. Playing a few chords now and then on a busy day will help you relax your mind. Also, using the break-time to strum your guitar is any day a healthier option than using it for smoking a cigarette.

Berthold Auerbach said that music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. So, choose a playlist that will help you seize the day, every day. Better still, grab a musical instrument and make your own music.