In contrast with 13 Upbeat Songs To Help Brighten Your Day, last week's article, this time around it will be in pursuit of the opposite effect. Whereas last week’s songs were upbeat and glittery and bright, now it’s time for a playlist that has, at least for me, the ability to calm even the worst amount of nerves and stress and apprehension.

As someone who battles anxiety, at its peak, it feels like everything is happening at once. Every single thing: every bad thing, every decent thing, every worst thing, all at once. Music has, since I can remember, been an influence at least and an encompassing power at most. One of its preeminent capabilities is to help me calm my mood, to readjust, and, as always, to just breathe and clear my mind. I know this sentiment is shared globally, mutually, collectively. For people that love music, we know that one of its most intrinsic qualities is to make us feel a certain way, and that’s what endears us so ardently to it.

Here are 12 of the best songs that embody that feeling.

1. "Passenger Seat" by Death Cab for Cutie

The languid piano and the sparse instrumentation always get me. Ben Gibbard’s soft lulling voice putting all my worries on pause for what perhaps could be the best three and a half minutes ever, in my opinion.

2. "Hundred" by The Fray

It must be something about pianos, because this song is another beautiful, buoyant ballad. It gives me literally all of the feels. Isaac Slade is singing about being stuck somewhere between the lowest and highest ends on an emotional number line and that, honestly, should be stress-inducing in itself, but I can’t ever be calmer when listening to this.

3. "The Heart Of Life" by John Mayer

John Mayer has been a long-time favorite in the calming-music game. Everything on 2005’s “Continuum” (the album this song is from) and 2009’s “Battle Studies” (one of my favorite albums ever) has the ability to cool me down instantly. I feel like John Mayer is just one of those musicians with an ear for soft, lovely tunes.

4. "Those To Come" by The Shins

This is actually also on my sleeping playlist (yes, I’m one of “those” people that have a playlist for quite literally most occasions), and it’s one of my favorite songs. Just the guitar and James Mercer’s ethereal vocals. The song actually has some of my favorite lyrics: “You went out in the yard to find / Something to eat, or clear your mind / Something bad inside me went away”. The song has a cleansing, releasing nature to it. I call it my lullaby song because it can put me to sleep almost instantly.

5. "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar

This one’s technically a cover (shout-out to Death Cab for Cutie for the original version), but Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar is one of my favorite things in music right now. Its repertoire consists completely of lullaby versions of songs ranging in genre from Alternative to Metal to Soundtracks to Indie to Reggae to covers of many modern Pop hits. They do a cover of Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” that is adorable beyond words.

6. "Morning" by Beck

I’m so grateful for this song, and especially this album. 2014’s “Morning Phase” saw a very crooning, folky, introspective Beck. It lacked the kind-of unnerving, bluesy melancholy of his 2002 effort “Sea Change”, but the sentiment of an intense yearning remained. This song equates the morning to gaining a new opportunity, getting another chance. There’s hope interlaced with with the affable strum of the guitar.

7. "Such Great Heights" by Iron & Wine

Here’s another cover that’s just about as good as the original. Iron & Wine covers The Postal Service here (shout-out to Ben Gibbard’s original music & lyrics taking three spots on this list: here, #1, and #5). I have a lot of Iron & Wine on my aforementioned sleeping playlist, and justifiably so. Sam Beam is one of those acoustic singer-songwriters I never get tired of. There’s something comforting in the reliability of his spin on new age folk and Americana.

8. "I’d Be Waiting" by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats

These guys are some of my favorites in the game right now. They bring back so passionately (and so well) the soul and blues in rock music and Americana. They are definitely making a name for themselves, playing sold-out shows at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado (out of which they are based, specifically Denver), and celebrating the first anniversary of their debut, self-titled studio album. Rateliff’s voice is captivating and evocative and I can’t wait for whatever they have planned next for us.

9. "Painting By Chagall" by The Weepies

This song has been in my library since my sophomore year of high school (with which I have a very specific association with this song due to a very specific memory, but that’s a story for another time). The Weepies really are great, and they’re based out of Cambridge, MA which is even better because they definitely have the home-field advantage with me; us being from the same state. This song is gentle and lovely, and the speaker equates her own relationship to that of the couple in the “painting by Chagall” called “Au Dessus de la Ville”, which is a beautiful work. Great lyrics and references to great art definitely have my vote.

10. "Loro" by Pinback

This one’s in constant repeat on the sleeping playlist, also. My criteria for calming songs are definitely piano or acoustic guitar, sparse instrumentation, and lyrics in a hushed kind of delivery. My mind wanders during this song, thanks in part to the dulcet notes of the bass (I’m a sucker for a good bass line).

11. "Lost In The Light" by Bahamas

The choir in the background always gets me. This song, I believe, speaks for itself. Alfie, the vocalist, speaks of what sounds like a strained or failed relationship. It swells between uplifting indie-gospel (yes, I just made that term up on the spot) and bluesy soft-rock. A consistent favorite.

12. "Black Leaf Falls" by Sea Wolf

I like this song so much because it plays out like an actual story; the mood feels like folklore. The voice of the lead singer, Alex Church, seems unsteady at points, but that only boosts the authenticity of the folklore vibe. The cabasa in the background is what I live for, really. Even though I’ve listened to it hundreds of times, this song retains its novelty through its storytelling. Another consistent favorite.

These are some of my favorite songs to turn to when I need the world around me to calm down. Hopefully you found something that can do the same for you. The diversity of emotions and sentiments in music never ceases to amaze and impress me. I've included a Spotify playlist below for easier listening to the easy listening.