Brain & Body Power
This muscle in your chest beats faster when you are scared or stressed, but can slow down when you listen to a calm song.
Heart
Named after a 3D shape, this breathing trick asks you to trace a square in your mind, holding your breath on the sides and breathing on the top and bottom.
Box-breathing
Measured in BPM (beats per minute), this is the word for how fast or slow a song is moving.
Tempo
According to music therapy rules, if you are furious, you should start by listening to a song that matches this mood, rather than a happy one.
angry (or high-energy)
Putting these over or inside your ears is a quick way to create a "personal bubble" and block out a noisy, stressful classroom or hallway.
Headphones/Earbuds
This chemical is the brain's "happy messenger" that gets released when you listen to your favorite song or dance around.
Dopamine
This physical coping skill involves squeezing your muscles as tight as a rock for 5 seconds, and then letting them go floppy like a noodle.
Muscle Relaxation
These are the actual words of a song that can sometimes say exactly what you're thinking when you can't find the words yourself.
Lyrics
This Greek-derived 'C' word means the massive feeling of relief or emotional "release" you get after crying or blasting a song when you're sad.
Catharsis
This is the title of the certified professional you would talk to if you wanted to use musical instruments, songwriting, and playlists to work through tough emotions.
a Music Therapist
When you feel stressed, your body goes into "Fight, Flight, or" this third 'F' word, where you feel completely stuck or frozen.
Freeze
This sensory trick helps you stop panicking by forcing you to name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 hear, 2 smell, and 1 taste.
5-4-3-2-1 method
This cozy, instrumental genre of music often features cartoon characters studying on YouTube loops and is great for calming homework anxiety.
Lo-Fi
After you match your mad mood with a fast song, a "Mood Match" playlist should do this to the speed of the next few songs to calm you down.
Slow them down
Doing this physical activity alone in your bedroom to a high-energy song is a great way to shake nervous energy out of your limbs.
Dancing
This is the name of the stress hormone that floods your body when you're overwhelmed, making your muscles feel tight.
Cortisol
This journal-writing coping skill involves letting out your bad day by writing down whatever thoughts come to your head without stopping.
brain-dumping (or free-writing)
If you want to calm a racing heart down to a normal resting speed, you should look for a song with a tempo between 60 and this many beats per minute.
90bpm
This is the fancy scientific word for when your body and mind are perfectly balanced, calm, and feeling "just right."
Homeostasis
If you are having trouble falling asleep because your mind is racing, you should avoid songs with lyrics and instead listen to this type of music.
Instrumental
This is the scientific word for your body naturally changing its heartbeat or breathing speed to match the rhythm of a song.
Etrainment
This therapeutic coping skill involves changing the words of a famous pop song to describe exactly how you are feeling inside.
song rewriting (or parodying)
This type of heavy, distorted music is great for safely matching and releasing high-energy anger, rather than bottling it up.
Rock / Heavy Metal / Punk
If you are feeling completely drained, tired, and low-energy, your starting song should match that state by being this speed.
Slow
This group music activity involves a circle of people using percussion to sync up their rhythms, release frustration, and feel connected.
Drum Circle