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Music of Stress

Chris and Dave Wattenberg


We know that stress is a major cause of disease. Most people feel that music is a therapy for relief of stress. The noise we encounter on a daily basis adds to stress.

Before we really get started lets see how some terms are defined in the dictionary. Stress is defined as "A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression." Sound is "Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing." Noise is "Sound or a sound that is loud, unpleasant, unexpected, or undesired." And music is "Vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm."

To put the definitions in a nutshell, stress is the result of resistance within an energy system. Sound is vibration that is in the range that the ear can hear. The difference between noise and music is weather you enjoy the sound or not.

So where is this going? Simply this, every sound you en-counter can be music. You do this by remembering to enjoy the sounds. We use the word "Remembering" because, as a child, we enjoyed all sounds. When there was road construction we danced to the rhythm of the jackhammers. After the fire truck passed we would imitate the siren. We would "play" rhythms on pots and pans until some adult came by to say "stop that noise!"

The adult that tried to convince us, as a child, that the music we were making was noise was really instilling an internal tension in us. The sound they disliked was our music. It was music that came from us. It was part of our system. It was us. We were now told that part of us, our own music, was unwanted.

The dictionary definition of music states that music should have melody, harmony or rhythm. Most sounds, especially in nature, possess one or all of these. There is rhythm to the sound of a cricket. There is harmony to the wind. There is a melody to the song of a bird.

By the same token there is a rhythm to traffic. As you walk through a mall, notice the melody of the people. On the other hand, if you have ever spent two hours in line at Disney World "music," like "It's a Small World" can become noise. For weeks afterwards even the first few notes set your teeth on edge.

Believe it or not, the sounds your children listen to possess the qualities of music. The sounds your parents listen to also possess the elements of music. If you resist their music, the result is tension which leads to stress and dis-ease.

Rhythm is important. In most cultures they use drums to help groups of people connect and get a community rhythm. In thee galley ships they had a drummer beating out me rhythm. In the army they use songs to help the troops march together.

Have you ever watched people roller-blading. Some people clunk along. They always look, and are, off balance. There are other people who seem to float along with a rhythm. These people seem to move effortlessly and appear to be in balance. They express their natural internal rhythm in the flow of their skating.

Try to enjoy and harmonize with all sounds. Unfortunately if you go dancing through the streets, down the aisles, between the cubicles at work, or in the freezer section of the store, the men in the white coats may come to get you. At the least you draw unwanted attention. Keep your dance steps small and enjoy your inner rhythms.

Music is everywhere. It is in everything and produced by everything. Once you learn to identify and enjoy the music of the world, your stress and tension will disappear.

The change is not to your body but to your attitude.

You must recognize that everything in the universe is connected. Music is the relationship you have to the universe. The world is music and you are the conductor.

Remember that

Your world is a symphony

When you are in harmony.




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