Take Four as Needed for Anxiety...

Put this music on and come back.  No really, just click on where it says "this music"  and it will open in a new window.  I just learned how to do this and I am RAWTHER excited.  You know I will be attaching music to everything now, don't you.  The music will open in a new window, and you can listen to it when you toggle back to this window.  Okay, so now you hopefully have some very beautiful, very soothing music playing in the background. Isn't that nice?  That's Bent, with their song "Swollen."  It's a pretty old song, but it's one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I know.  Okay, back to more ways of alleviating anxiety (None of which include chocolate, because though I have tried, really I have, to use chocolate as a tranquilizer, I've found it only aggravates things, since now I have calories and fatness to worry about.  And maybe breaking out.), because on the whole I have a LOT of anxiety.

1.  The music is, first and foremost, my best way of dealing with stress and anxiety. When you're done with "Swollen," close out and try this one.  It's Angela McCluskey singing with Telepopmusik, called "Don't Look Back."  This isn't music to cheer you up--that's a whole different criteria.  This is stuff to calm you, to soothe your savage breast.  Well, if not savage, certainly tense. Okay, now play this one!  It's Royksopp, "In Space."  Alright, now last of all throw in some Daft Punk, "Nightvision."  None of this is new music--the Daft Punk alone is 10 years old!  But these are beautiful, peaceful, and calming pieces of music.  They work!

2.  Another interesting little thing I found is called Bach Rescue Remedy. They are stress relieving pastilles, and they are sort of like gummies.  They have a very mild citrus flavor, and you chew/suck two or three at a time.  They are homeopathic, made of flowers ( in Switzerland!), and apparently have no better efficacy than a placebo.  Well, I don't know what to tell you, because I find they work really well--bring on the placebos! I generally chew a few when I feel wound tight as a spring.  And then, after about 20 or 30 minutes, I suddenly notice that I don't feel wound quite so tightly.

3.  Much as I hate to admit it, going for a walk is hugely helpful (I prefer to doctor myself from the comfort of my own home).  Taking the dog tires us both out, and we both sleep better. Although I don't think the dog has any anxiety.  She just likes to go for walks.

4.  Finally, if worse comes to worst, sit outside, look at the full moon (which always aggravates my anxiety issues--the moon, not the sitting), and open a bottle of wine. And maybe put on some music (see above).

Guilty Pleasure Music

I'm kind of holding myself up for ridicule with this list.  Normally I have very particular musical taste, and to say I am persnickety would be rather an understatement.  So I'm not sure how this music sucked me in, but it did.  These are all pretty old songs, but I don't know that a guilty pleasure ever dies. When I talked about music to dance around the house, I suggested you crank it up.  With this music, however, perhaps you should keep the volume a tad lower, and I would certainly keep the windows rolled up in the car.  Your children may pretend they don't know you if you play these songs around them.  Unless they're a lot more tolerant than my children (gee, I just don't know where my kids get their strong opinions...).

Westside Connection:  "Gangsta Nation"

It's just so wrong, a middle-aged woman loving old rap like this.  But you will be tapping your toe, let me tell you.  Consider this an invitation to my gangster nation.  Excuse me.  My gangsta nation.

Justin Timberlake: "Senorita"

I really don't know what to say about this.  I really, really hate boy bands and their former members (although, speaking of members, I do have more respect for Timberlake after his song for SNL, "D*** in a Box"), but I really, really like this song.

Biz Markie:  "Just a Friend"

He can't really sing, he more just talks, and the song screams one-hit wonder.  I originally heard it in a Heineken commercial (the one in the taxi), and that's endorsement enough for me.  Plus it's really fun to sing along to.

Britney Spears:  "Toxic"

I think anything Britney Spears sings that isn't horrible (which I'm not sure leaves too many options...) has got to be a guilty pleasure. And the video (which is where the link for Britney will take you) is great--she gets what a video is supposed to be.  It's like music videos used to be before MTV (you know, MUSIC Television??) got so stupid and stopped playing music videos.

Fountains of Wayne:  "Stacy's Mom"

Same deal--like a throwback to the videos of the 80's.

NeYo:  "Closer"

I'm telling you, your kids are gonna disown you....

Ke$ha:  "TiKToK"

Anybody whose name and song title look like a series of typos may not be high on the intellectual property list.  But this is a great song.  You're going to want to go to a keg party.  Well, if they had them for old people.  But this is guilty pleasure to the nth degree, and an awful lot of fun to sing along to.

Okay.  That's enough for now.