Confronting New Year’s Anxiety with Music
We hope you’re having a happy new year! Reflecting back on 2022, there were many worldwide events that have been brought forth from significant advancements in areas such as AI, VR and the use of 5G networks expanding in many countries, natural disasters that have impacted many around the world, and several countries reporting high unemployment rates and economic recession. It’s certainly been a filled year, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed going into 2023, then you are not alone.
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What is New Year’s anxiety?
If you’re living with anxiety, you may wonder why it becomes heightened during this time of year. Whether it be the multitude of holidays happening in the span of a few weeks, the potential stress of spending time in one place for so long, or other stressors in current times like the rising cost of living added onto holiday shopping, feelings of unease may begin to brew.
New Year's anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways. For some, it may be a sense of pressure to set and achieve new goals. For others, it may be a feeling of uncertainty about the future. Regardless of the specific manifestation, the common thread is that it can be overwhelming and can negatively impact a person's well-being.
Where can this anxiety come from?
For many people, New Year's anxiety is rooted in the expectation that the new year must bring significant change and progress. Society often reinforces this idea, with messages of "new year, new you" and the pressure to set ambitious resolutions. However, this expectation can be unrealistic and set people up for disappointment.
The start of a new year often brings with it a sense of pressure and expectation to make it the "best year ever," which can cause feelings of anxiety and stress. This feeling can also be compounded by a sense of disappointment if one's expectations and goals for the previous year were not met.
New Year's anxiety can also stem from the uncertainty of the future. The start of a new year brings with it the unknown and the possibility of change, which can be unsettling for some people. This can be particularly true in the current climate, where there is a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability in the world.
It's important to remember that it's okay to feel anxious, and that it's a normal part of the human experience. However, it's also important to take steps to manage and reduce anxiety. This is where personalized music can be an effective tool.
How can music address New Year’s anxiety?
LUCID's personalized music can be an effective resource for managing New Year's anxiety. LUCID’s Affective Music Recommendation System (AMRS), is a revolutionary, non-invasive solution for treating anxiety. Using a data-driven approach to traditional music therapy, LUCID’s AMRS utilizes a deep reinforcement learning neural network to curate, measure, deliver, and optimize personalized playlists, along with auditory beat stimulation. The platform predicts and adapts to users’ reactions to the digital therapeutic, enabling them to reach their desired mood state with a reduction in anxiety.
Especially when facing anxiety related to the changing times and uncertainty pertaining to the New Year, personalized music can be extremely beneficial. Unlike generic music featured on streaming platforms, or pink noise, LUCID’s original content library is non-lyrical and has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety by a mean 16% in adults with moderate anxiety. While listening to songs that reflect feelings of anxiety in its lyrics or melody back to you, LUCID’s tracks utilize artificial intelligence to combine musical elements for each individual listener based on their current and target mood states. It doesn’t get more personalized than that!
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New Year’s can be a time where individuals face higher levels of anxiety and stress, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By using music as medicine, this time can be an opportunity to get in tune with your emotions and address feelings of anxiety that may arise. This time of year may be scary, but with a musical soundtrack to guide you through, you may just find that just like any other time of year, you don’t have to suppress your anxiety and can come out of it feeling much better. Although times and situations may be changing, one thing that remains the same is the power of music.