In order to relax, some people meditate (meditation never worked for me, maybe I’m not doing it right), and others exercise (I can’t really get into exercise, every part of my body either starts to hurt too much or I start to fatigue quickly). While others curl up with a good book (never got into reading, I really wasn’t allowed to read growing up) but for me, music is one of those things that relaxes me. I listen to just about everything from Classic Rock, Rock, Metal, 80’s Hair bands, Country, Classical, and even some Rap.

I was raised on country and bluegrass, but my older brother was a Classic Rock guy, well what is Classic Rock today, back in the ’70s, it was just rock and roll.

My all-time favorite music group is Journey and they have been my favorite ever since I was a young kid hanging out in my best friend’s bedroom, listening to the Lovin’ touchin’ Squeezin’ single on 45, from the 1979 Evolution album. From that point on I was hooked on Journey. From that point on I was hooked on Journey and I still am today. Journey tends to be my go-to music when I need to chill.

WOW, did I just date myself, 45RPM record disk, now that is old school. But I remember listening to twangy country music on my dad’s 8-track tape player. I had Boston’s first album on vinyl and I knew every pop and skip on that damn thing as I played it way too much. But back to music helping me chill and relax.

Today my music of choice is rapper NF, yesterday it was Classical and the day before that it was Journey.  The week prior I was on a Five Finger Death Punch kick.

NF is a 27-year-old rapper who tends to write about his real-life experiences. If you don’t mind rap, then give him a try, he is a lot like Eminem but without all the drama that Marshall brings upon himself.

I got into 5FDP (Five Finger Death Punch) about 5-6 years ago and when I need something a little harder 5FDP is usually my go-to. Being a Veteran, I really like their song Wrong Side of Heaven.

Some of my favorite groups are:

Classic Rock

• Bob Seger
• Queen
• Boston
• Along with Styx and, Foreigner

Rock

• Def Leppard
• Journey
• Foreigner

Metal

• 5FDP (Five Finger Death Punch)
• Halestrorm
• Linkin Park

80’s Hair Bands

• RATT
• Dokken
• Cinderella

Country

• Trace Adkins
• Alan Jackson
• Colt Ford

Classical

• 2Cellos
• Lindsay Sterling
• Brian King Joseph
• Along with all the true classical music like Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart & Chopin

Rap

• Token
• NF
• Bars And Melody

If music is your thing and you have anxiety issues, then try to make a playlist of some of your favorite music that makes you mellow, music that reaches into your very heart and soul and helps you with your anxiety. It seems to work for me.