Music for anxiety from Carrie Wind

As many of you know, our instructor Carrie Wind is also a music teacher at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. She has shared this trusted resource with us for participants who may be feeling anxious at this time.

New Resources for Relaxation for Kids and Adults

Hey everyone, I hope that you are all healthy and well and doing the best you can with the new challenges that we face during this pandemic.

Now, more than ever, we need resources to help with fear, stress and anxiety, so I’ve been busy putting this video together for you! I was fortunate enough to get some great footage of me working with a young adult who has autism and is blind. He often experiences anxiety, so we’re mostly working on calming strategies. He has responded so well to these so I wanted to share them with you! Here’s the link to the video!

Whether you are a parent, teacher or therapist, you might want to try some of the following strategies with individuals who experience stress and anxiety. *

Have calming instrumental music playing at 60 to 90 beats per minute (resting heart rate). You can find the music I used in this video from my album of relaxation music called, An Open Sky. (links below)
Use slow, deep breathing techniques as illustrated in this video
Lead some simple seated yoga moves and pair these with slow deep breaths
Write a song about using deep breathes to calm oneself. Or you can just use mine!!! 🙂
Pair taking slow deep breaths with a soothing instrument such as a lap harp or a rain stick.
Keep your words and directives/prompts to a minimum
Turn down the lights! Avoid using fluorescents if possible
Give a fidget toy or mouthing/chew toy to help them get the sensory input that they need to become regulated
Use deep pressure if that what your child craves (consult with an OT about how to do this)
Many people also respond well to swinging so if you have a swing, use it.
Consult with an Occupational Therapist! OT’s are well-versed in sensory regulation strategies
With all of these strategies, the effectiveness will depend on the individual and his/her specific needs and challenges.