As most people know, stress is no good for your health. Because of this, it’s a good idea to take steps to reduce stress levels. There are a couple of simple and enjoyable ways to help decrease stress levels.
Learning Piano
There has been at least one study that shows that when people learn to play piano it helps to decrease their stress levels, including reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol and anxiety levels. Piano playing was even more effective than molding clay or doing calligraphy. There are a number of ways to learn piano skills, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay for expensive lessons. In fact, it’s possible to learn with programs for the computer, such as Playground Sessions, the innovative piano teaching software from music legend Quincy Jones, which helps people learn how to play popular songs. It’s more fun to learn to play a song that’s currently popular than to learn using basic songs like Chopsticks.
Taking a few steps may make it easier to learn to play the piano a bit more quickly. First, of course, you’ll need to spend plenty of time actually practicing. Keeping a keyboard or piano in a visible place will help to act as a visual reminder to practice. Even better, pencil practice time into your schedule to make it even less likely you’ll forget. However, don’t try to practice for hours at a time, as that can backfire. It’s usually better to practice for about half an hour a day and make sure to spend time working on pieces you haven’t already mastered, not just playing the same few songs over and over again.
Aquariums
Another potential way to reduce stress is to watch aquarium fish. Most people find watching water or being near water to be calming. Add in a few fish and it’s possible to spend quite a bit of time relaxing just watching the fish move around and go about their lives. Aquariums deliver significant health benefits by reducing insomnia, stress, anxiety, high blood pressure and the symptoms of chronic illnesses. This is one reason why many doctors and dentists have aquariums at their practice. People tend to be a bit stressed when they think about upcoming dental procedures, so aquariums can help to calm them down before they see the dentist. Some studies have shown that spending some time in front of an aquarium before a dental procedure may even make it so less medication is necessary for pain.
Those who would like to experience the stress-relieving benefits of aquariums can easily get one for their own home. It’s important to put some thought into it before rushing out to make a purchase, however. For example, some fish need more space than others or different living conditions. Choosing the type of fish you want for the aquarium will help determine the appropriate size and the other items that should be added to the aquarium to keep the chosen fish happy. Some fish tend to eat certain other fish, so they shouldn’t be kept together. Keep in mind that the fish will need to be regularly fed and the aquarium will need to be cleaned from time to time. Sometimes it’s possible to use certain species of fish to help clean the aquarium, but this doesn’t eliminate the need for a person to empty the aquarium and clean it thoroughly.