Music Stress Relief: A Relaxation Technique for Working Men

Mr. Lu relieved stress and relaxed by listening to music in a scientific way. In fact, this new type of psychological therapy, music stress reduction, has been adopted in advanced hospitals in some cities in my country, and it is very effective in eliminating psychological stress and treating certain mental illnesses.

Mr. Hu is an ordinary employee at a company. Due to excessive work pressure, he works like a wound-up clock every day, daring not to slack off even for a moment, meticulously attending to his work. At the end of the day, he often feels completely exhausted. Once, he heard someone say that "music relaxation" is a very good way to relax, especially suitable for a professional man like him.

So, upon returning home, Mr. Hu eagerly turned on some music. He found his favorite pop songs and began to dance along. After a while, Mr. Hu was so tired that he lay down on the bed. For several days in a row, Mr. Hu found that this music therapy didn't seem to be very effective; he felt even more tired than before, often feeling exhausted early the next morning and unable to concentrate on his work.

Logically speaking, music relaxation therapy is a good method. However, why did Mr. Hu not benefit from it and instead make his condition worse? This is mainly because Mr. Hu did not truly master music therapy.

In fact, music-based stress reduction is not without its techniques. It's important to note that the choice of music must be based on emotional changes to achieve the best results. For example, when feeling depressed, one can choose Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in B minor or Sibelius's "Waltz of Sorrow"; when feeling anxious or eager, one can choose Haydn's "Music for the Royal Fireworks," Rossini's "William Tell," or Borodin's "Dances of the Tartars"; for inducing sleep, one can choose Mozart's "Lullaby," Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," or Debussy's Piano Concerto "Dream," and so on. Furthermore, different types of music are suitable for different times of day. Generally, calming music should be listened to before bedtime to aid sleep and rest; stimulating music is best listened to in the morning or forenoon to energize and invigorate; and music that relieves depression has fewer restrictions and can be listened to at any time.

I once saw a survey online: researchers tracked over 80 couples, recording how they talked to their partners daily and evaluating their psychological feelings and recent health conditions, such as insomnia, anxiety, headaches, and loss of appetite. The results showed that talking to their partners about their day was beneficial to the confidants' mental and physical health, increasing their satisfaction with their marital life and family situation. However, this benefit seemed one-sided; the listeners didn't seem to experience the same benefits, and they indicated that they weren't listening attentively most of the time. Later, the researchers had the confidants try talking to themselves about their troubles, finding that this also reduced stress and improved health, and also decreased accusations of "nagging" from the listeners.

Therefore, researchers suggest that if your nagging annoys your friends or you can't find a suitable listener, try talking to yourself. Talking to yourself about your worries and frustrations can not only regulate your emotions and clear your mind, allowing you to view things more rationally, but it also won't waste other people's time or reveal your privacy. Thus, talking to yourself is a healthy way to relieve stress and an effective relaxation technique.

Today, work and life weigh heavily on men's heads. Despite the heavy burden and immense pressure, professional men often choose to bear it silently to avoid worrying their families and friends. However, pressure needs an outlet. If it festers and remains unreleased for a long time, it will not only affect the health of professional men but also their career development. Therefore, when men encounter difficulties at work and feel exhausted, they might try using self-talk, telling themselves, "Don't be nervous, don't rush, take it slow," to relieve tension and stress, quickly adjust their emotions, and start afresh.