Stress Tip: Use Music to Relax & DeStress
Music Can Also Fire You Up!
A 2006 Journal of Advanced Nursing study showed that listening to music one hour a day for a week reduced symptoms of depression by 25%. Music, especially classical music, can also serve as a powerful stress-relief tool. Listening to Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D major while preparing to speak publicly helps avoid anxiety and lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
I use different CDs in the car. When I need to get Fired Up!, I have energizing, upbeat music that empowers me. When I need to relax, I listen to soft jazz and soothing instrumentals. Try this yourself, especially if you spend hours in the car each day. Make custom playlists for working out, for energizing you, and for unwinding in traffic. It can even help you destress during the holidays.
Key Takeaways
- Just one hour of music a day, for a week, measurably reduced depression symptoms in a controlled study.
- Classical music, specifically Pachelbel’s Canon in D, has a documented calming effect before high-stress moments like public speaking.
- Different playlists serve different purposes: energizing, relaxing, and focusing are not the same job.
Music is one of the simplest tools in a broader stress management toolkit, low effort, no equipment, and available anywhere you have headphones or a car stereo.
©2011, 2026 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference.
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