Music to "Soothe the Savage Beast"

Fancy this: You've just come home from work after a hard day. You had fights with your boss and your co-workers.

You're angry, high-strung. Your nerves are all jangled, and your blood pressure is in the stratosphere.

As you walk in the front door, the radio is blaring some current rock tune.

Although you're not really aware of it, that jangle of "music" only makes you angrier! You scowl at your mate, brush off your kids, and plunk down in the easy chair, trying to cool down, all to no avail.

Finally, in desperation, you reach over and turn off the radio. The emotion begins to subside a bit, and you start to relax just a little.

But something is still missing. Your thoughts are still all wrapped up in the day you just went through, and there doesn't seem to be any way to settle down.

Sound at all familiar to you?

I have a solution!

Put on some light, soft CLASSICAL music, sit back down in your easy chair, close your eyes, and let it soothe and relax you!

Yes, I DID say "classical" music. That's right- the stuff you call "high-brow" or "long-haired".
The stuff you say you can't stand to listen to!

Before you go off thinking I'm a nut-case, let me explain!

An old, old adage proclaims, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast". The guy who first said that spoke the truth. Since the dawn of man, music has been our constant companion, especially in times of stress. But what kind of music was he talking about?

Modern music? Or some other kind?

You may actually like "modern" music. That's okay! You don't have to stop liking it to start liking classical music. The two can co-exist! In fact, they have for generations! The question is not about your likes or dislikes, but what kind of effect does the music have on you?

I think most of us would agree modern music doesn't tend to relax a person. For the most part, it does what it's designed to do- arouse our emotions.

Soft, classical music, on the other hand, has been proven to soothe jangled nerves. It has a calming effect. It can relax you and your mind, helping bring down that sky-high blood pressure.

If you've never listened to classical music before, it may take a bit of getting used to, because you won't be hearing the kind of things you are used to hearing, but that's okay, too.
You may not completely understand the music. You may not know the story behind it. (Although there IS a story behind every piece of music ever written.) You may not know who the composer is, or what orchestra is playing it.
None of that really matters right now.

What matters is to clear your mind of any negative feelings about it, and simply listen to it. Don't try to pick out individual instrumernents, just listen to the total sound of the piece. Try to hear it all. Let it surround you, encompass you, with the complete package. Let it even lull you off to sleep if it wants to!

As you do this, the troubles of the day begin to fade away. You will begin to feel calm and relaxed. Your mind will almost automatically turn to more pleasant things. Soon the cares and concerns of the day will no longer be foremost in your mind. You may even begin to experience that "peace of mind" everybody talks about, but so few actually ever achieve.

Soft classical music may not solve your problems, but it will definitely help you handle them better! The big, bad world will still be out there, but you can deal with it tomorrow. Tonight, it can no longer reach you!

If you've never tried it, what have you got to loose? A CD of classical music will cost you about $14.00, but the benefits it can bring you are priceless! Once you've cleared your mind of any prejudice against it, and let the music work its magic on you, you'll wonder why you took so long to listen to it in the first place.

And you'll learn it's not "high-brow" or "long-haired" at all. In fact, it's real, down-to-earth PEOPLE music!

So if you ever have a day like we mentioned above, don't grab the aspirin, or that bottle of beer. Grab some classical music instead, and let it soothe the savage beast inside you!