Pick a sound or piece of music that you can connect to – something that makes you feel relaxed and you enjoy. This is an easy thing to do and if you choose a calming piece of music – it literally slows down the activity in your brain.
When you listen to soothing sounds, fewer neurons fire up in the part of your brain that responds to fear. Your whole brain starts to slow down.
Try not to use the music as just background and ignore it. Use it as a way to tune in to yourself.
Listen closely. What instruments or individual sounds can you pick out? Are any louder than others? Do you feel the vibration of any of the sound in your body at all? Has it triggered a happy memory for you? Can you feel that memory as a physical response in your body? Can you identify specific musicians playing if it’s a band or artist you know well?
Choose your own music, or choose one of the tracks in the sidebar [copyright bensound.com].
The more you take time to notice the detail in the music – and how your body is responding to it – the easier it will be to let go of unhelpful thoughts.