Zen Playlist

The playlist that’s my go to when I’m feeling like I need to center myself and calm down or escape reality for a bit is called my “Chillax” playlist. I listen to this when I’m in all sorts of different moods. Whether I just got out of a rough shift at work and don’t feel like dancing and singing, or I just woke up and don’t know what I feel like listening to yet. I could be mad at my husband or annoyed with my 5 year old and I just can’t go wrong with this playlist.

A lot of the songs on this playlist of mine are by the artist Jack Johnson. I have yet to hear a song by him that I don’t absolutely love. His music is upbeat but soft at the same time and it has never disappointed me. His music works for me good mood or bad. A lot of his songs are about love which I adore. “Banana Pancakes” is probably my favorite because who doesn’t want to make banana pancakes and pretend like it’s the weekend? That just sounds like heaven to me.

Some of the other songs on this playlist are from a 90’s acoustic playlist that I came across on Spotify. A lot of those songs just bring me back to my childhood (I was a 90’s kid). Some of them were being played on the radio a lot when I was younger and was the kind of thing my mom would listen to. I heard these ones often and grew to like them as well. They now remind me of when I was a kid and having no worries, just feeling happy and carefree. I like re-living these feelings and escaping reality. I have always loved Jewel and Alanis Morisette and Incubus and Sheryl Crow so the acoustic versions of their songs also helps in centering and chilling me.

Another reason I dig this playlist is because it can sometimes help when I get overwhelmed and am feeling anxious. This music allows me to connect my thoughts and feelings. Then I can get in the right mindset to stop the anxiety before it escalates to full blown freak out. I am a super emotional person (being a woman the odds are already not in my favor in that way). On top of that I do think I tend to have a few extra feelings floating around inside of me just because of who I am as a person.

Some of the songs make me cry a lot of the time. Sometimes I have no idea why and I just figure I needed a cry. I always feel better after. I even figure things out on accident sometimes. When I start to feel like I’m going to cry I wonder “why in the heck am I crying over this totally not sad song?!” It once in a while, will end up being that something is bothering me in my life and I’ve been avoiding or ignoring it. This makes me take the time to cry it out, deep breathe and figure out what the issue is that I’m avoiding.

Once those emotions have been let out I am able to think straight and deal with the problem at hand. I used to feel the crying coming on, that tight closing feeling in my throat, and I’d immediately change the song and purposely avoid feeling those feelings. Not anymore. It is much healthier to feel the feelings so they too shall pass.

There is one song on this list that has a lot more meaning for me than any others. The song “I’ve got peace like a River”. This is because it reminds me of an amazing woman I was once very close with, until she passed away a few years ago. She was my grandmother-in-law, her name was Barabara. Barb was the most genuine and sweet person I have ever known. She was peaceful, accepting, caring and loving, like no one else.

Barbara did so much for my husband, my daughter and I that I feel I could never repay her. So, I live everyday hoping to make her proud. I also hope I’m making the decisions in life that she would encourage me to make. I always wonder “what would Barbara say?” when I am faced with hard decisions. This song and Barbara’s memory help remind me that nothing lasts forever and about the importance of peace and love. It is incredibly important to remember to love the people we love to the fullest. As well as be grateful for what we have while we have it, because one day it or they could, well, will be gone.

So as you can see, music for me is super therapeutic. I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. I would not want to live in a music-free world, no thank you. That just straight up wouldn’t work for me. Music helps me deal with the heavy feelings in life rather than avoiding them and blowing up one day. It’s also uplifting and exciting when it’s music I can dance to, but that’s a totally different playlist.

It is so important to check in with ourselves and work on and pay attention to our mental health every single day. Which is something I just recently learned while riding along this wild roller coaster that is my life. Music and specifically this playlist is by far what I use the most frequently in my day to day life to get calm. In addition to my music listening though, I do lots of yoga and writing. This all helps me connect with the universe and invite balance and clarity into my life.