Can Elvis Help Your Fear of Driving?

Anxiety Doc
Do you remember growing up as a teenager and being deeply dedicated to your music? You had the radio as a source of stress relief. If your parents were mad, you popped in a Van Halen tape. If you got your heart broken, a ballad soothed your soul.

Music can offer help for your fear of driving too. Many grown-ups forget about the stress-busting benefits of music, tuning into talk radio instead or listening to sports programs or comedy shows on Sirius radio. What a mistake!

Music therapy helps people remove stress from their lives in a variety of ways. Some people just like to listen. Others prefer to write songs, using the lyrics they write as a stress therapy similar to journaling.

If you're adventurous or want to focus on a new hobby, you might even take up music lessons so that you can benefit form music therapy through performance instead of listening. You could play the piano, harp, guitar, drums - whatever instrument you feel helps you feel better.

The best thing about music is that it naturally helps you relax. In some instances, you might use music to get rid of your aggression, and rock-n-roll is a perfect outlet for that. If relaxation while driving is your goal, then a more soothing genre of music therapy would work for your needs.

Turning on some relaxing music in the car makes your tense muscles relax. If you use music in your self-hypnosis regimen, it can assist you in getting into a deeper state of rest so that you can focus on letting go of the stress.

Some people affected by a great deal of stress like to use music with their other stress-reduction techniques, such as yoga, aromatherapy, or exercise. It can be used as a stand-alone stress reliever or in conjunction with another one to enhance your results. It's great to add to the exercises prescribed in a formal program such as the fear of driving program offered at www.DrivingFear.com.

Music therapy is being used to augment treatment for serious diseases such as cancer in hospitals, and those who use it for stress reduction report an increased sense of satisfaction with their own treatments. Why not enlist it to help your fear of driving?

Studies show your brainwaves respond to music therapy in a way that puts you in sync with a steady beat, allowing you to concentrate at a higher level and achieve a sense of calmness and tranquility.

Even after you stop listening to music, the effects last a long time, contributing to the health of your nervous system and your immune system. Listen to music to de-stress when you're driving, working around the house, eating (if you're a stress eater), and taking a bath! You may be surprised how much cranking some tunes can help you with overcoming your fear of driving!

Published by Anxiety Doc

Writer and researcher on anxiety disorders and specific phobias.  View profile

2 Comments

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  • Steven Falconi12/19/2007

    I can second the thumbs on the program at www.DrivingFear.com for the fear of driving, it's wonderful.

  • Lenora Murdock11/26/2007

    I'm glad to hear this. I can see how it seems music would be effective, but it helps to know that it is proving helpful. Good article.

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