Welcome back readers! It is Tuesday and we are about to turn up the tunes! So, put on your favorite jam and just dance it out for a few minutes. While we are stuck at home trying to navigate our work, family, and personal live’s we can get overwhelmed quickly and forget to care for ourselves. Music is a good way to release stress, anxiety and can change your overall mood. There are those  songs or pieces of music that can transport you to another place in your mind or remind you of a moment you had in your past. It is quite powerful the affect that music can have on us and using that to our advantage in these trying times can really improve our overall mood. I think we all have certain songs that we can put on and we immediately start smiling, tapping our feet or snapping your fingers, it just makes us feel happy. We just feel like dancing or singing along with the lyrics and as we do this our moods tend to improve. Turning to music in these times is a good way to take a break from the world around you and just be in the moment with the tune that’s playing. I don’t know about you however, when I am having a stressful day I find putting some headphones in and just letting the music take me on a journey is a great way to practice self-care.

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” – Billy Joel

There are so many ways to access music these days on a variety of platforms, apps and devices. Maybe now is a good time to try something new when it comes to how you access your music and explore different ways to enjoy your tunes. Take some time to browse Instagram where recently many musicians are posting live at home performances of their songs using the hashtag #TogetherAtHome. There are also benefit concerts streaming on different networks and streaming radio services, like iHeart Living Room Concert for America that aired in Fox Network last night, to benefit health care workers.

If the Foo Fighters is not your cup of tea, no worry, there are plenty of artists who were a part of this concert so feel free to check it out by clicking here on the link YouTube. The idea is to just give yourself permission to relax, be in this present moment, and listen to some music.

In addition, last night on CBS, late night talk show host, James Corden hosted a special called #Homefest with a variety of music’s top artists, along with other celebrities, to raise money for charity organizations including the CDC Foundation and Feeding America. While in the practice of social distancing to stay healthy during this time everyone is able to come together from all over the globe to not only enjoy music, but to bring us all together to support agencies that are helping those who need it most during this time.

Take time to get lost in the music and let yourself relax.

Listening to music you enjoy may allow you a place to release some stress you may have built up in your body over the day or maybe over this past week. You can just sit quietly and listen or you can dance around your house. If you choose to start dancing, just let your body move to the rhythm and sing along if you know the words, whatever feels right to you, just be in this moment. In addition, there are a variety of well known Dj’s that are also holding “dance parties” on social media sites, such as Instagram, that are becoming quite popular in recent days. One that has received the following of even some of the most famous celebs is @dnice with his Club Quarantine, where he creates a virtual dance party online as he spins some great music you can dance to. It can be fun to connect with others while enjoying music and why not get together anyway we can, with the Internet we can all be close to one another even from a distance.

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” – Maya Angelou

However you choose to enjoy music today, make sure it bring you joy and helps you cope in these trying times we are all going through together. I hope reading this today has brought you a moment of calm and some positivity in these difficult days we are in. I will be back tomorrow with some more tips and videos to help you find your happy place! Please remember to wash your hands, stay home if you can, and practice social distancing if you do have to go out. This continues to protect the most vulnerable among us and help flatten the curve.

I am writing this blog to be helpful to you all out there during this turbulent time and am looking for your feedback. I would like to know your thoughts so, please feel free to leave your comments, questions and suggestions under the Contact Me tab at the top of the page. You can subscribe to this blog by clicking on the Subscribe button in the lower right corner. Just enter your email address and receive Self-Care Corner in your inbox every morning. In addition, you can now find Self-Care Corner on Twitter @selfcarecorners, where I will be posting daily affirmations and ways to cope with these changing times. I hope this will help others feel less alone, more relaxed and more empowered to practice self-care.