Writing Tip: A Playlist to Calm the Mind

A therapist suggests some music to reduce anxiety… and spur creativity.

As a writer, one thing you don’t want to hanging around your consciousness while writing is anxiety.

What if this scene sucks? What if this story sucks? Do I even know these characters? Who am I kidding people will HATE this story?

Nope, don’t want that.

Combine that with people who enjoy writing while listening to music. That brings us to this article I recently read: Anxiety: a playlist to calm the mind from a music therapist, written by Elizabeth Coombes, an actual musical therapist. An excerpt:

In my work as a music therapist, I’ve noticed the impact music can have on anxiety. For example, in guided imagery sessions, the therapist uses specially selected music and the client is invited to describe what they are feeling and what images the music conjures up. It’s amazing what insights can be gained from simply allowing yourself time to listen and talk about what you see in your mind’s eye.

These may be as simple as becoming more aware of how music can affect emotions, or be used to explore past experiences or future dilemmas. It can also be used to find a place of comfort and a secure base where physical and emotional balance can be found.

A recent experiment explored whether certain kinds of music can reduce anxiety during a complex task and concluded that some music is better at doing this than others.

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The speed of the music should be relatively slow, the melody should be simple, and the beat and harmony should not hold too many surprises. Other factors, such as the complexity of the music and — surprisingly — familiarity with the piece, were not so important.

In fact, knowing a piece too well was found in some cases to be counterproductive. The genres most likely to support relaxation are classical, soft pop and certain types of world music. These are found to largely contain the musical elements necessary to help a person relax.

Here are a few of the suggestions Coombes makes:

Of course, every writer is different. Novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen listens to Philip Glass over and over while writing. Conversely, Stephen King favors heavy metal music like Metallica and Anthrax.

However, there is something to be said about music which can reduce anxiety as a way to spur creativity. As for me, I prefer this:

For the rest of the article from The Conversation, go here.