How can music help anxiety?

It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, an important time to spotlight how we can give support to children’s mental health. Music can be a powerful tool for the mental health of children, young people, and well as people of all ages. So we’re sharing some tips from our music therapists for using music to ease anxiety, and support your mental health. Plus, check out our brilliant Spotify playlist for wellbeing and relaxation.

1. Focus on the present

Often we feel anxious because we’re thinking about things that have happened in the past, or things that might happen in the future. Music can help us avoid getting stuck in a place of worry by drawing us into the present, which changes our focus and grounds us. You may want to combine mindfulness practices with music, or simply try identifying all the instruments in a song you love.

2. Play an instrument

Playing music can be just as relaxing as listening to it. If you have an instrument to hand, try playing something calming and simple. You may want to avoid pieces that are difficult or complex, as this can have the opposite of the intended calming effect. While you’re at your instrument, you could even compose a new piece to express what you’re feeling.

3. Try songwriting

While many emotions are hard to express through words, songwriting can externalise your feelings, getting them out into the open. This may help you look at them from a different angle. Recording the song on your phone can also be a helpful exercise, and allows you to share your song with other people.

4. Connect with others

Anxiety can affect our confidence to try new things, and social music-making can provide a safe and enjoyable way to try something new without the fear of negative repercussions or feeling exposed. You might join a beginner ukulele group, a local non-auditioned choir, or take a friend’s recommendation to listen to music you’re unfamiliar with. Being surrounded by people who are all just giving it their best is a great way to feel connected, engaged, and excited about your week.

5. Get active

Music and exercise go hand in hand. Exercise has many anxiety-relieving benefits, including releasing endorphins in the brain, and decreasing muscle tension. Many people find that listening to music makes it easier to exercise, and motivates them to be active for longer. The beat of the music can also help regulate your breathing and heartrate.

6. Change your mood

Music with a distinct energy can lift you out of your current frame of mind. Some prefer techno, some prefer classical or lo-fi, but whether you choose something energetic or calming, it may be able to take the edge off the negative emotion you’re experiencing.

7. Play music in the home

Whether you’re listening to music intentionally, or while keeping busy with things around the home, playing music can be an excellent form of immersion and a real mood-booster. If there are children at home, playing music can be particularly important. Today, children may be more likely to experience music in short bursts through media platforms such as TikTok. So playing music around the home can provide them with the crucial opportunity to build a deeper connection with music. Children are often open to listening to all different kinds of music, so try exposing them to lots of different kinds and help them find something they like!