Relaxation Music - How to Calm Down with Music

Why You should Use More Music

I use music for a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes I wanna get mega pumped up before I play basketball. For that, I prefer a bangin beat. By bangin I mean it makes my head nod quickly and uncontrollably.

Other times I need music that will help me concentrate and relax. For that I prefer instrumentals. No words. If there are words then I get distracted and that defeats the whole purpose of concentration!

Kids + bedtime = hard times. It doesn't always have to be. One trick I've discovered is to use calm relaxing music to get them ready for some serious sleep. After a crazy day of playing, messing up freshly cleaned rooms and eating, use relaxation music to calm the wiggle worts. Shoot, if you're a grown up kid like me, it'll still work.

Here's a quick tip! If you want hyper kids to calm down, use a song with a beginning tempo the same as their heartbeat. Then gradually work them down to a slower tempo. It really does wonders to relax them.

Science of Music

Before I get into how to effectively use music to relax, let's discuss the science behind it. Wait, I know! I said science and many of you started to snooze. Well, Wake Up! It's really quite fascinating.

In 2001, a group did a test to see how music would help a person heal after a surgery. They found that patients found a more complete relief (10-30%) by using a combination of relaxation, music and their combination. Read the study summary for a quick look. Another group found that relaxation music decreased the amount of self-controlled sedation a patient would use during surgery. That means the music helped kill their pain!

Most people know and understand the effects music can have our emotions and physical well being. Science is just telling us that we're right!

How to relax with your music

Set Aside Time

Block out a section of time and don't let anything distract you from it. During this time you have one purpose - To calm down, unwind and relax. Let your friends, roomates, family and others know that this time is very important to you and you won't accept distractions.

Set Aside Location

Location is just as important as time. You want to select a quiet and distant spot. Your area should be warm and welcoming to allow you to really let go of your thoughts and worries.

Remove distractions

Like I said before, this is your time. Lovingly tell the wife, kids and all pets to go and stay away. If you take a couple minutes before hand to explain why and what your doing to your little ones, you'll stop interruptions before they can happen. Don't bring your laptop, phone or other communication device because the temptation will be way too strong to get distracted.

Select Music

Each person prefers a different style of music that resonates with them. So select your sounds carefully. For relaxation and concentration, I really dig smooth trip hop beats without any lyrics. Singing is fine if the words aren't discernable. Words get me thinking and if my brain ticks too much then I can't relax anymore. One of my favorite artists is J Boogie. In fact, I'm listening to some right now!

Listen to and Concentrate on Music

This is very important. Throughout the day we have a million thought that come into our minds. I like to clear out my brain every once in a while and listening to music is a great way to do that. To get the best results I can't and don't want to let in any distracting thoughts. Its like a mind purge so focus on the music and let go.

I attached some great videos for understanding and using music to relax.

The first one (Beautiful Music and Landscapes) is soothing tunes with photos of beautiful landscapes.

The second video (Achieve Different Emotions with Music) is a great exercise that demonstrates how music can make you feel differently even when in the same situation.