Stress Dance

Stress Dance

When my wife had cancer, it was a very stressful time for her. As a family we tried to do what we could to help. Concerned neighbors delivered food, and we learned to deal with the stress. One of the ways she coped was to have a theme song. I think it really helped.

If you are familiar with the song “Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder, there is a verse which says:

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride

Nobody's gonna slow me down

Oh no, I've got to keep on moving

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride

I'm running and I won't touch ground

Oh no, I've got to keep on moving

She really doesn’t listen to the song anymore, but she listened to it constantly while she was getting treated. There really is a strong survival message in the song, but the rest of the lyrics aren’t really about surviving. But for her it really worked. Along with the chemotherapy, transfusions, morphine and lots of love cured her and now it’s been 15 years since the diagnosis.

Music really does have an important part in keeping us healthy, and if you are dealing with stress in your life every day – and who isn’t – music can be an important tool in relieving some of that stress. Studies have shown many benefits from listening to music. From giving us a more positive state of mind to keeping depression and anxiety at bay, it also can help prevent stress from damaging our bodies. It can also help produce higher levels of creativity and optimism.

Listening to music you like can have other benefits, like lowering blood pressure, boosting your immunity, easing your muscle tension which can all reduce the risk of stroke and other health problems. My wife is convinced it helped her overcome cancer.

Music with a strong beat can stimulate brain waves and can sharpen concentration and thinking. If the music has a slower beat, it can promote a more calm and meditative state. Even after you have finished listening to music, there are changes in your brainwave activities which continue.

When plants were subjected to many different kinds of music, they seemed to prefer sitar and baroque music, but withered and died when exposed to Led Zeppelin music. If you aren’t familiar with Led Zeppelin, it’s a heavy metal group from the seventies. I like their music, but I can see how plants might die if it was played 24-7.

I like what Heinrich Heine said about music: “When words leave off, music begins.” Maybe what we need is not more talk, but more music. I think it even helps when we are lonely. Robert Browning said, “Who hears music feels his solitude peopled at once.” When I hear certain pieces of music, memories about my past are often conjured up as if by magic. Friedrich Nietzsche said it this way: “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Perhaps George Eliot said it best. “I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music.”

Music does calm the savage beast, and if we listen to the music we like, we can relieve some of the stresses we all experience. It does explain the continued popularity of the oldies and the oldies stations. When I need a break, I like to listen to music from the seventies and eighties, but modern music is also good. You may like classical or country western, but whatever the kind that appeals to you, try listening to some music next time you are stressed.

Remember, not only can it relieve stress; music can manage pain, improve your mood and mobility, reduce the need for pain relievers and other benefits.

Think about your favorite music, and you may already be feeling the stress melt away. As T.S. Eliot said, “You are the music while the music lasts.” We are dancing through life to the music we create, and when all is said and done, music may be the way we all communicate. If you remember the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, the aliens and humans bridged the communication gap with musical notes which you can probably still recreate. But what can we do about today? Laurie Anderson once said this, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” I may not be able to explain how much can change us, but now would be a good opportunity to remember some of your favorite music. Bob Marley summarized it for all of us. “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

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