A couple of months ago, I wrote an article about different methods to manage anxiety and one of those was playing music. All of the different ideas I wrote about in that article work for managing my anxiety, but there is something about music that always helps me relax and take my mind off of whatever I am freaking out about. I LOVE music. It doesn't matter what kind, chances are I have some form of it on my phone and I NEVER leave my apartment without my headphones. One of my favorite Christmas gifts I got this year was my bright orange suitcase record player. I brought it to school with me and I am always playing records in my room because it helps me relax and focus on what I need to get done for school, instead of worrying about everything I haven't done yet.

We all go through stressful times and right now I have been stressed out about graduating collage. It is a really exciting time but also really scary because it is a big change that I don't always feel ready for. One of the things that has been really helping me get through that change is my "Go Away Anxiety," playlist on my phone and yes I actually have a playlist named that (haha). If I'm stressing out, I will put on my headphones and just play the playlist as many times as I want, or I will play one of the records if I am at home in my room. This really helps me forget what I am thinking about and relax and be present. Below I have listed all of the music and bands on my "Go Away Anxiety Playlist." Most of these bands are popular and maybe some aren't, but my hope is that this list will inspire you to listen to these bands more, that you maybe discover a band or musician that you haven't heard of before, or that you decide to make your own "Go Away Anxiety," playlist because you have never thought of doing that before!

My "Go Away Anxiety," Playlist

1. The Lumineers

Okay, so I know I just wrote an entire article about these guys, but that is because they are awesome and my favorite right now. The Lumineers are probably the one band (at least right now) where I know and love all of their songs. It would be really hard to pick which was my favorite, but the songs on this specific playlist are, "Dead Sea," "Sleep on the Floor," "Flapper Girl," "Angela," and "Gun Song." But really, I should have both of their albums on there!

2. Frank Sinatra

I LOVE listening to Sinatra! For real, he is a total boss and as cheesy as it sounds, his music can take me out of any bad mood. You just have to dance when he is playing, and I think he should be on everyone's iPod or phone! The specific songs my playlist are, "Come Fly with Me" (a personal favorite of mine), "Fly Me to the Moon," "New York, New York," and of course, "The Way You Look Tonight."

3. Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine probably comes in at a close second to The Lumineers of being my favorite band. But honestly, most of the time they are tied (haha). Florence and the Machine is SO awesome and they are another rare band where I know and love all of their songs. On my "Go Away Anxiety," playlist, I have the entire Florence and the Machine "Unplugged" album which is a live recording of most, if not all, of their songs except what is on "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" which is their newest album. I love this CD because it has most of their songs at a slower pace and Florence sings "Jackson" which is a Johnny Cash and June Carter song and I LOVE Johnny Cash.

4. The One and Only Mr. Johnny Cash!

In my humble opinion, you can never go wrong with Johnny Cash. But when it comes to relieving my anxiety, I always play his recordings of hymns and there are a lot of them! This is just the CD that I have on this specific playlist, but if you go on iTunes or Spotify you will see that there are many albums to choose from.

5. Of Monsters and Men

This is another band that is great to listen to if you are trying to relax or working on homework and want to listen to music. On my playlist I have "Dirty Paws," "Little Talks," "Mountain Sound," and "Crystals."

6. Gardiner Sisters

I discovered the Gardiner Sisters on Spotify completely by accident and I am SO glad that I did! They do mostly acoustic covers of popular songs, but the cool thing about them is, all of their covers are mashups. Some of my favorites that are on this playlist are, "Home/Dirty Paws," "Taylor Swift 1989 Medley," and "I Was Made For Loving You/Please Don't Say You Love Me." If you get a chance, you should really check them out!

7. Joseph

Okay, I just discovered Joseph this year and I credit that discovery to my friend Sidney (shout out to Sidney Marchio :)) who is where I discover most of my music from (haha)! These guys have an awesome, soulful sound and I love listening to their albums on my record player. The songs that I have on this playlist are, "Honest," "White Flag," and "Cloudline." They are on Spotify and you REALLY should check them out!

I hope you enjoyed reading my article and found some new music you want to check out! Next time you are feeling anxious, put on your head phones and turn everything else out!