Great strategies to relax : music and sports
By Mathéo Grégoire
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| Photo par Inaka Dojo |
Nowadays anxiety is a global issue, researchers and psychologist kept trying to find ways to solve that problem, and one of the main ways is relaxation method. But why is it important to include relaxation techniques in our lifestyle? Because doing strategy is like listening to the right type of music and doing physical activities like sports can reduce a lot of your stress.
First, why is music a great way to relax? Because, music can lower anxiety and depression, increase spacial awareness and enhance the mood. But that’s not it, for example, researchers from the University of Utah made a study that said that listening to music helps to reduce pain with the people ho are anxious, by activating sensory pathways to compete against the pain pathways. On top of that, music even has other benefits than reducing anxiety, it can even boost your focus. But be careful, the type of music you’re listening is very important. For example, fast-paced music increased anxiety unlike music that is more harmonious than does the opposite effect. Overall, listening to music is a great thing to do in multiple situations, but it’s also important to make the right choice when choosing your playlist.
Next, about 75% to 90% of doctor visits are for stress-related illnesses. Sports help you manage stress. Exercise causes your body to release endorphins, the chemicals in your brain that relieve pain and stress. It also reduces the levels of stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. Studies have shown that 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day can make people feel calmer. This calmness continues several hours after exercise. For example, Studies have shown that 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day can make people feel calmer. This calmness continues several hours after exercise. Also, team sports are better for mental health than individual ones. For example, a study showed that if child play team sports when they were younger, they are less likely to do bad things like smoking and taking drugs. Additionally, researchers in Korea recommended the use of sports to help teens combat internet addiction. So over all sports has a lot of benefits for our physical and mental health, but be careful to not fall in big and stressful sports events that may be too much for you.
Finally, you now know all the benefits of music in your brain like boosting your focus, reducing anxiety and pain. And that sports make you physically and mentally feel better. But is there’s another way better than sports or music to relax?
Psych2Go- 5 Ways Music Affects Anxiety and Depression
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/benefits-of-sports-for-mental-health
https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/glossary-terms-headaches
https://www.webmd.com/depression/exercise-depression
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol
The strong power of walking, breathing and music as meditation techniques
By Victoria Grégoire
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| Photo par Patricia Dorantes Brassard |
Meditation is practiced all around the world since about 2000 BCE. From Hindu meditation to Chan/Zen meditation, the practice of self-care has been all over the place. After all, it is essential to develop stress management strategies in our common life habit’s, like those I present. My methods consist of walking, breathing and music meditation. I present why respiration and walking are scientifically proved to make us feel better and how combining walking and music meditation is one of the greatest way to boost emotional wellness and release stress.
In the first place, I’m convinced certain meditation techniques can sincerely enhance our well-being. Because science has demonstrated respiration and walking helps us feel more fulfilling. In my opinion, I think it’s true because physical and mental health are totally related. Dear family, I’m sure you’ve all heard before to take a deep breath, but why? Well, when we breathe our breathing system inhale 21% of gaseous oxygen and inject it in our blood. Afterwards carbon dioxide is rejected outside our blood when we exhale. Every time we inhale, air load a huge portion of the millions of alveoli in our lungs. Passing thought the capillaries, oxygen comes out of the alveoli to the blood and then lined the alveolar walls. After all, oxygen is taken by the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. Oxygen in our blood then flows back to the heart, which pumps it along the arteries and oxygen gets distribute to hungry tissues all over the body. As a result, the volume of our lungs increases and air pressure decrease. After all, when we breathe it releases pressure in our bodies and oxygen our whole bodies. That’s why deep breath calms us, simple, no? Besides, an article from Harvard Health Publishing specifies: “Walking can help protect you during cold and flu season. A study of over 1,000 men and women found that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less (HARVARD HEALTH PUBLISHING, 2024, p. 2).” Other articles also stipulate it enhance physical health by regulating our blood sugar, improve digestion and balance, for example. To sum it up, I think all those advantages coming from walking and breathing, unintentionally relate themselves to meditation while being easily introduced in our life habits.
Subsequently, from my perspective, practicing divers self-care strategies helps us to have better control over ourselves. Because, combining music and walking as meditation techniques are beneficial for your mood and decrease anxiety. How ever, do you know what music meditation is? It’s a form of therapy where tone is used to achieve goals, reduce anxiety or boost life quality. In other words, it’s using sounds as the main centerpiece for your mind, not just background noise. That’s what I find so focusing and helpful with music. In my view, it has a really strong power over us. An essay about music and concentration explain: “There’s a specific spectrum of musical properties that the brain prefers.” “There needs to be a medium level of syncopation in music to elicit a pleasure response and associated body movement in individuals (BURNETT, 2016, p. 21).” Have you ever experienced this power of music over you?
Additionally, walking makes me feel the happiest. For instance, an article talking about walking meditation provides that: “In 2018, researchers found that both a single 10-minute walk and 10 minutes of meditation quickly improved the moods of young adults (WISNER, 2024, p. 8).” When I merge those two techniques, it provides me a strong sensation of well-being. In fact, music naturally improve dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter controlling our reward system. On his side, walking boost serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone our brain and intestines produce. It affects our mood, digestif system and our emotions. As a result, combining those two strategies amplifies significantly your happy hormones, over all health and concentration, which is fascinating!
To conclude, I strongly believe using walking, breathing and music meditation, combine or alone, are the most outstanding formula for common stress management. Stress and self-management are hard to learn and is not tough often enough. I firmly wish one day school provides classes to learn how to take care of ourselves.
HARVAD HEALTH PUBLISHING, 5 surprising benefits of walking, Boston, Harvard College, 2024, p. 2
Dean, BURNETT, Does music really help you concentrate?, Montréal, les éditions CEC, 2016, p21
Wendy, WISNER, The Benefits of Walking Meditation and How to Get Started, New York, VerywellMind, 2024, p. 8
