All my life, I have been surrounded by music: my grandmother played the piano, my aunt taught music and my mom lent her beautiful voice to church services on worship teams. Music has always played a significant role in my life. Unfortunately, so has my anxiety.
I've only recently started taking medication for my anxiety, as its severity had increased to a point where it wasn't quite as manageable as before. Before a handful of weeks ago, my anxiety had been the constant nagging and second-guessing of every action and every word I did and said, but the more rational part of my brain that recognized the radical thought process almost always overruled it. Lately, it has developed into a more extreme and noticeable presence, like an unusually hot eighty-degree day in the middle of October. I overanalyze not just what I'm doing and saying, but how others perceive what I do or say. I'm looking to the past and the future, and everything that comes out of my mouth has to be rethought, reworded, scrapped and swallowed down because of a ridiculous "but what if" question.
When I get wrapped up in an entirely fictional scenario that I can't break free from, I stop functioning. I can no longer breath as the irrational worry and nervousness suck all the air from my lungs. I tense up. I'm simultaneously being squeezed and blown apart, and there's very little I can do about it until it passes.
However, I can prevent the worst from happening by calming down with music. I can start working on unwinding with my individualized Spotify playlist for these situations. Below is a list of songs that have helped me with my anxiety.
1. "6/10" by dodie
2. "Brave Enough" by Lindsey Sterling feat. Christina Perri
3. "Take Flight" by Lindsey Sterling
4. "Sick of Losing Soulmates" by dodie
5. "Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty
6. "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls
7. "Praying" by Kesha
8. "Human" by Christina Perri
9. "Madness" by Sleeping With Sirens
10. "Walk Alone" by Pvris
11. "Winter" by Pvris
12. "Fall Away" by Twenty One Pilots
13. "Set Apart This Dream" by Flyleaf
14. "Wings" by Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams
15. "Still Here" by Digital Daggers
16. "What Happened" by Emilie & Ogden
17. "Half Light" by BANNERS
18. "Paris 12" by Linying
19. "Graveyard Whistling" by Nothing But Thieves
20. "Half" by Pvris
21. "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Sterling feat. Lzzy Hale
22. "Here's To Us" by Halestorm
23. "Beautiful With You" by Halestorm
24. "Sing Me to Sleep" by Alan Walker
25. "I'm Not The One" by 3OH!3
26. "Dark Road" by Annie Lennox
27. "Angel With A Shotgun" by The Cab
28. "Don't Forget About Me" by CLOVES
29. "All Around Me" by Flyleaf
30. "Various Storms & Saints" by Florence + the Machine
31. "Breathe" by Fluerie
32. "Anti-Gravity" by RUNAGROUND
33. "Sad News in a Quiet Room" by Keyes feat. Vic Fuentes
34. "Obsessions" by Marina and the Diamonds
35. "In Bloom" by Neck Deep
36. "Impossible Year" by Panic! at the Disco
37. "Anxiety" by Good Charlotte
38. "Roundtable Revival" by Lindsey Sterling
39. "Hope for Morning" by Icon For Hire
40. "Lost Boy" by Ruth B
41. "Broken Down" by LYRA
42. "Light in the Hallway" by Pentatonix
43. "The Pines" by Roses & Revolutions
44. "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol
45. "Moonrise" by WILDWOOD
There are a lot of songs that have helped me throughout the years, and this list is always evolving and changing with my taste in music.This playlist is a very important part of my process of unwinding and calming down. Often while I'm listening to the playlist, I'll breathe in for four, hold my breath for seven and breath out for eight.
I recommend to anyone who suffers from anxiety to create their own playlist and try out a few breathing techniques like the 4-7-8 breathing technique. It's been very beneficial to me, and I hope it could help other people too.
