We live in a dynamic, complicated, stressing world as you undoubtedly well know. Managing work, family, friends, traffic and a myriad of other stimuli every day can leave you frazzled. You may also be aware of different approaches to managing anxiety. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), anxiety medication, yoga, and meditation can all help people learn to decrease the day-to day stress they experience. Many of us resort to other options like video streaming, listening to classical music, or substances like alcohol to “numb out” or distract ourselves. However, you may be surprised to learn that one song in particular has been clinically tested and shown to reduce anxiety significantly. According to researcher David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International, listening to the band Macroni Union’s son “Weightless” can reduce overall anxiety by 65%.Long summer days can become jam-packed, making it harder to “come down” and relax when we would ideally be falling off to sleep. As someone who has experienced insomnia in the past, this song has made it into my nightly routine along with other good sleep hygiene approaches. As infants our parents often create a nightly routine to help us sleep, including warm milk, a bath, a book, and maybe a song. As adults, we still need to signal to our bodies that it is time to sleep. This includes a night time routine that takes between 30 and 60 minutes before you will ideally be asleep. I’d be happy to speak to you more about this if you are interested. For now, I recommend checking out the lullaby for adults, “Weightless.”
Published on July 19, 2019 on Linkedin
