Mend with Music

Holiday stress takes its toll every year, but the shocking events of recent months are greatly exacerbating usual feelings of anxiety and depression. For those who don't have time for a vacation—and aren't ready to turn to the pharmacist—there's another way to soothe frazzled nerves.

"Music can act as an agent of peace or it can be audio fuel for action," says Elizabeth Miles, ethnomusicologist and author of Tune Your Brain: Using Music to Manage Your Mind, Body, and Mood. Depending on your emotional state and the songs you listen to, music "can reduce levels of the stress hormones in your blood that lead to fatigue and illness," she says.

Upbeat music produces beta waves in your brain, helping you make decisions and solve problems.

Using music as preventative medicine is gaining wider acceptance. "People now are using music to help them deal with sadness and fear," said Dr. Anne Blood in a study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Some tips to maximize benefits:

"I so" relaxed. To mellow yourself out, use the iso-principle. Start with music that matches your revved-up state. If your heart is racing at 90 beats per minute, play a song that beats the same. Then introduce mellower songs, letting each one be "slower, lower, and less intense than the one before," says Miles.

Repeat after me. When doing monotonous tasks, crank the Clapton. Tunes with a quick tempo can improve productivity, reduce errors, prolong attention span, and speed your pace.

Explore the possibilities. Take a trip to a music store with listening stations and try before you buy. Although Miles offers suggestions (soothe with early classical, chants, or cool jazz; perk up with New Orleans jazz, Latin dance music, or Celtic reels), the important thing is to listen to music you enjoy.

Have it handy. Before going to bed at night, put an energetic CD in your stereo so all you'll have to do in the morning is grab the remote control and hit play to help wake up. "Ear coffee" says Miles, can help your nervous system catch up with your circadian rhythms.