Sound Therapy: A Simple Way to Calm Minds

Stress, our body’s reaction to challenges, is something that most people experience continuously throughout their lives. While short-term stress is normal, chronic stress can take a toll on our bodies, affecting all organ systems and lowering our overall quality of life (American Psychological Association, 2024). Common physical symptoms of stress include muscle tension, headaches, stomach discomfort, and an increased heart rate, all of which can contribute to cardiovascular disease when they persist over time. Psychologically, stress often leads to feelings of anxiety, mental fatigue, inability to concentrate, and even depression in more severe cases (Chu et al., 2024). That is why finding effective methods to alleviate stress is so important for our overall well-being.

One way to de-stress is through sound therapy—a contemporary healing method that utilizes different audio frequencies and tones to allow for relaxation. Surprisingly, a sound therapist is not required to conduct sound therapy. While it is recommended to attend professional sound therapy sessions to deepen the experience, sound therapy can be practiced by anyone, anywhere. Whether it is at home or in a workplace setting, we can play recordings or use simple instruments and tools to create calming, therapeutic sounds. 

Furthermore, there is no need to spend large amounts of money on sound therapy instruments; many of the instruments can be made by ourselves with supplies that are easily obtainable. A good example of this would be the ocean drum. It is a percussion instrument that imitates the gradual swishing sound of ocean waves rolling onto beaches. The ocean drum involves the use of an enclosed, round container with various fillings inside (typically small beads). To use the ocean drum, the player would gently tilt the drum repeatedly. In the process, the filling would travel down toward the direction the drum is tilted. The repetitive sound of the filling running across the surface of the drum is what creates the soothing sound of waves. So the next time you find yourself feeling stressed, calm your mind with the gentle sounds of an ocean drum!

Learn how to make an ocean drum yourself here: https://fraumusik.com/making-an-ocean-drum/

References:

American Psychological Association. Stress Effects on the Body. 8 Mar. 2023, www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.

Chu, Benjamin, et al. “Physiology, Stress Reaction.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 7 May 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/. UCLA Health. “What Is Sound Therapy — and Could It Benefit Your Health?”

UCLA Health, 6 Oct. 2025, www.uclahealth.org/news/article/what-sound-therapy-and-could-it-benefit-your-health.