My Go-To Anti-Anxiety Songs
Written by Lila Mabanta
Sometimes I have moments where I’m feeling extremely anxious, my body’s sweating, and all I want to do is cry. I know I’m definitely not the only one. When these moments happen, my go-to action is putting on calming music to sync my mind and breathing to. Personally, I think the songs are quite good (most may be sad, but we know that can be quite comforting too)– here’s my list of them.
“Fire Away” by Niall Horan
This song is my ultimate calm-down song. From Niall’s 2017 debut solo album Flicker, “Fire Away” is the ninth track featuring his very gentle voice and soft melodies. It double-functions as a bedtime song in my opinion. Not only is the sound calming, but the lyrics are too. I associate the lyrics with the exact situation I’m going to it for. The first line is comically a soft punch in the face, which doesn’t sound comforting, but in the way it’s sung, actually is, as you feel recognized: “You keep saying that you’re alright. I can see it through your fake smile, you’re not”. The chorus quickly approaches with: “There’s a reservoir in your eyes, that you’ve been holding for a long time, what’s wrong? Darling you don’t have to hold it, you don’t have to be afraid. You can go ahead and unload it, ‘cause you know it’ll be okay. Fire away, fire away”. Niall is literally encouraging acknowledging and releasing all your pent-up emotions, all your tears, and all your anxieties.
“Sleepwalk” by Santo & Johnny
This purely instrumental song feels like a time jump to the 50s with its soft rock steel guitar, and sleepy melodies. I mean, it’s in the name. If lyrics are too overwhelming at times, this is the perfect song to lay down, close your eyes, and breathe. The melody is so beautiful that hopefully, it will simply encapsulate you for the next 2 minutes and 31 seconds.
“my tears ricochet” by Taylor Swift
Are we even surprised? We could include basically all of folklore and evermore on this list, but that might make it too lengthy. This is the perfect example of sad songs sometimes helping with your own sadness in solidarity. Your emotions need to be felt in order to be released– you can’t pretend they don’t exist. This is a good song to feel and release them to, given its gentle sound as well (sensing a theme?). The chorus’s build-up feels like a growing pit where you can throw your emotions into, “And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I’d stayed. Look at how my tears ricochet”, which can be very cathartic as your tears are, indeed, ricocheting.
“Life in the City” by The Lumineers
If sadder songs don’t help, a more positive, but still gentle, song is the way to go. Again, I could include almost every song by The Lumineers here, like “BRIGHTSIDE”, “ROLLERCOASTER”, and “My Cell”, but for this purpose, I wanted to include a lighter song. This song is one you can easily sway to, and although it talks about hard times in life, keeps a more positive outlook. If you live in a city, specifically, you may resonate with this song more, with its lyrics: “Oh, whoa. Livin’ life in the city. Oh, oh. It will never be pretty”, and its concluding verse, both existential with a hopeful outlook.
“All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison
The title itself says it all. This song is fully themed with both the good and bad not lasting forever, opening with, “Sunrise doesn’t last all morning, a cloudburst doesn’t last all day”, and its repetition of “All things must pass, all things must pass away”. Definitely more on the somber side, but it’s a very clearly stated message to hold onto when you’re feeling so attached to your overwhelming emotions.
“Told You So” by Little Mix
If you’re someone who likes to be comforted by other people when you’re upset, this is for you. This song feels like a welcoming, we’re-here-for-you sleepover with your sisters or best friends. Although it’s more in the lens of heartbreak, it feels like the voices accompanied by the acoustic guitar are directly speaking to you, with the opening lyrics: “Be honest, how are you feeling girlfriend? Have you been crying again? Just give it some time, breathe out”, and then further along in the chorus: “Girl just come ‘round by tonight, I got wine and makeup wipes. I’ll hold you, I’ll hold you”. So, if you’re in need of some besties, this cute, sweet, sentimental Little Mix song may do just the job.
“Body Paint” by Arctic Monkeys
Again, the whole album, The Car, applies to this– the entire melodic sound is extremely calming and comforting– to me this song feels like a warm blanket. Plus, the soothing voice of Alex Turner will always help (in my opinion). With a little bit of a smooth jazz feel and varying rhythms and instruments, this song may encapsulate you into another world, helping move away from your stress.
“Fine Line” by Harry Styles
I would not be true to myself if I didn’t include Harry in this. “Fine Line”, the last song to his second album, Fine Line, is built off the theme of life, people, and relationships having a very small, almost unnoticeable contrast, between good and bad, positive and negative. The ethereal intro, and soft, lullaby-like guitar strums with Harry’s echoing vocals display this song in a very existential way, and might make you cry a little heavier again for a moment. However, the epitome of sadness is worth it, as it’s all a build-up to its release. His repetitive, crescendoing “We’ll be a fine line” that turns into “We’ll be alright” as the horns, keys, and drums, all grow, and finally burst, becomes the most encapsulating part of the song where although you know things aren’t always great, we’ll be alright nonetheless.
Hopefully even just one of these songs may help you the next time you’re feeling anxiety and panic. Or maybe none of these will, but you’ll feel inspired to curate your own version with similar themes, specific to your tastes. As you can tell by my pattern, I strongly recommend very soft, gentle songs in these moments that don’t feel like chaos to your brain. Now, breathe, open your ears, and allow yourself to feel.
Be well,
Lila
