Some may say that these are stressful times. There seems to be a gray blanket of anxiety hovering above us as we try to navigate just getting through the day. We listen to the news… we scroll… we stress. And time. We struggle with time. Where does the time go? What can we do? How can we manage it all? Just breathe.
Don’t forget to breathe
It really is amazing what a little breathing can do. Especially if you pair it with some music that you find comforting. And you don’t have to get fancy or find an elaborate breathing exercise. Just taking a few minutes to simply sit and focus on your breathing can help. As a music therapist working in various hospital settings, I see a lot of folks with stress and anxiety on a daily basis. Whether it’s in the ICU, the oncology unit, in-patient behavioral health, family members, and even nurses who are dealing with the day-to-day stressors that are a part of their jobs, I do a lot of work with breathing. (And music.)
A five-minute reset
When I’m facilitating group music therapy sessions, I generally start off with what I call a five-minute reset, which is based on mindfulness but is essentially just breathing and music. It’s simple and it’s doable. And this is something anyone can do on their own. Here’s how it works:
I start by saying, “Okay, for the next five minutes, all you have to do is focus on the music… and breathe. You don’t have to do anything special, it’s not a breathing exercise, just focus on your natural breathing. Just focus on what it simply feels like to breathe in… and breathe out.”
I then give some music on the guitar. I initiate the music with a little purposeful tension then gradually moves towards more soothing and harmonic themes to help prompt a relaxation response. However, you can use any music that helps you.
And away we go
As the music starts progressing, I will add, “You can close your eyes if you like. And when you breathe in, really feel the fresh breath going deep into your body. And when you exhale, just let it all go.”
And then I just let the music, and breathing, take over.
That’s it. Simple. Doable. And after about five minutes or so, you will most likely feel a bit more relaxed. (Of course, you can extend it to however long you wish.) Why? Because, when you sit and simply focus on your breathing, you tend to breathe a little slower and a little deeper, and that is a natural way to relax your body. And the music is there to help you focus. Again, simple and doable. It’s just five minutes.
Now, when I’m providing the music on the guitar, I am controlling the tempo, which I gradually decrease. When the tempo of the music decreases, our breathing will generally follow and slow even more. It’s called ‘entrainment’. Our bodies work with music. Our breathing (our heart rate, our gait) ‘entrains’ to the rhythm of the music. But if you use recorded music with a nice easy tempo, and are focusing on your breathing along with it, your breathing will settle into the tempo of that music as well. And use music that you enjoy! There is no “this is the music that helps you relax.” No. The music that helps you relax is the music that you enjoy. Music is subjective. We don’t all like new age, meditative, whatever. Maybe you like jazz, classical, Alicia Keys, Yacht Rock. Metallica. (Yes… Metallica. I will sometimes relax and breathe with ‘Nothing Else Matters’.) We like what we like.
I simply call this a reset. And this can literally be done anywhere and anytime that you need a, well… reset. A little break. Just breathe.
Sometimes, if we just stop and breathe for a moment… it’s a start. A start to being present. A start to letting go. And a start to moving on with a little less anxiety and a little more renewed energy. We can’t always control the situation and we can’t always control what happens. But we can control ourselves. We can reset. Take a small break. And breathe.
So, whenever you are feeling it all, the weight of the world (and you will) take a few moments to just breathe. And listen to some music. It’s just five minutes or so. It’s time for you. It’s a little break. And then you can get back at it. Sometimes, little breaks can do big wonders.