Music has power. Power to soothe, to excite, to calm, to energize, to inspire…

I love music. I love analyzing music.

Movie music is fun to analyze.

Apparently I have talked enough about movie soundtracks, that my children also notice if a movie has good music and how it contributes to the story.

(proud mom moment )

Have you ever heard Richard Dreyfuss talking about the Jaws movie, with and without the soundtrack?? (that was pretty fun)

But that’s not what I really wanted to talk about.

What I wanted to talk about was the power music has on our ability to deal with stress.

The soothing power of music is well-established.

Music, especially classical music, can have a “beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones.”

Therefore, music is a fabulous stress management tool.

Yet, I was surprised (but not really surprised) to learn that when people are feeling super stressed, they actually avoid actively listening to music.

Maybe it seems like a distraction or waste of time.

I know it’s not the first solution that comes to my mind when I’m feeling under pressure.

But since productivity increases when stress is decreased, it might be wise to make the little extra effort.

And I will be happier for it.