All my life, I have been surrounded by music: my grandmother played the piano, my aunt taught music and my mom lent her beautiful voice to church services on worship teams. Music has always played a significant role in my life. Unfortunately, so has my anxiety.

I've only recently started taking medication for my anxiety, as its severity had increased to a point where it wasn't quite as manageable as before. Before a handful of weeks ago, my anxiety had been the constant nagging and second-guessing of every action and every word I did and said, but the more rational part of my brain that recognized the radical thought process almost always overruled it. Lately, it has developed into a more extreme and noticeable presence, like an unusually hot eighty-degree day in the middle of October. I overanalyze not just what I'm doing and saying, but how others perceive what I do or say. I'm looking to the past and the future, and everything that comes out of my mouth has to be rethought, reworded, scrapped and swallowed down because of a ridiculous "but what if" question.

When I get wrapped up in an entirely fictional scenario that I can't break free from, I stop functioning. I can no longer breath as the irrational worry and nervousness suck all the air from my lungs. I tense up. I'm simultaneously being squeezed and blown apart, and there's very little I can do about it until it passes.

However, I can prevent the worst from happening by calming down with music. I can start working on unwinding with my individualized Spotify playlist for these situations. Below is a list of songs that have helped me with my anxiety.

1. "6/10" by dodie

2. "Brave Enough" by Lindsey Sterling feat. Christina Perri

3. "Take Flight" by Lindsey Sterling

4. "Sick of Losing Soulmates" by dodie

5. "Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty

6. "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls

7. "Praying" by Kesha

8. "Human" by Christina Perri

9. "Madness" by Sleeping With Sirens

10. "Walk Alone" by Pvris

11. "Winter" by Pvris

12. "Fall Away" by Twenty One Pilots

13. "Set Apart This Dream" by Flyleaf

14. "Wings" by Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams

15. "Still Here" by Digital Daggers

16. "What Happened" by Emilie & Ogden

17. "Half Light" by BANNERS

18. "Paris 12" by Linying

19. "Graveyard Whistling" by Nothing But Thieves

20. "Half" by Pvris

21. "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Sterling feat. Lzzy Hale

22. "Here's To Us" by Halestorm

23. "Beautiful With You" by Halestorm

24. "Sing Me to Sleep" by Alan Walker

25. "I'm Not The One" by 3OH!3

26. "Dark Road" by Annie Lennox

27. "Angel With A Shotgun" by The Cab

28. "Don't Forget About Me" by CLOVES

29. "All Around Me" by Flyleaf

30. "Various Storms & Saints" by Florence + the Machine

31. "Breathe" by Fluerie

32. "Anti-Gravity" by RUNAGROUND

33. "Sad News in a Quiet Room" by Keyes feat. Vic Fuentes

34. "Obsessions" by Marina and the Diamonds

35. "In Bloom" by Neck Deep

36. "Impossible Year" by Panic! at the Disco

37. "Anxiety" by Good Charlotte

38. "Roundtable Revival" by Lindsey Sterling

39. "Hope for Morning" by Icon For Hire

40. "Lost Boy" by Ruth B

41. "Broken Down" by LYRA

42. "Light in the Hallway" by Pentatonix

43. "The Pines" by Roses & Revolutions

44. "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

45. "Moonrise" by WILDWOOD

There are a lot of songs that have helped me throughout the years, and this list is always evolving and changing with my taste in music.This playlist is a very important part of my process of unwinding and calming down. Often while I'm listening to the playlist, I'll breathe in for four, hold my breath for seven and breath out for eight.

I recommend to anyone who suffers from anxiety to create their own playlist and try out a few breathing techniques like the 4-7-8 breathing technique. It's been very beneficial to me, and I hope it could help other people too.