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The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.


GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here[2] , and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.


When the house guests and dinner prep start to get overwhelming, one of the best things you can do for yourself this time of year is take a step back. Find a moment of calm, whether you meditate, take a few deep breaths or dance to your favorite song. We asked our Facebook community[3] what songs they listen to when they need a moment to themselves. Here are just some of their serene recommendations. Take a listen and get ready for a stress-free and happy holiday.




Clocks - Coldplay

(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay - Sara Bareilles

Claire De Lune - Debussy

Sunday Morning - Maroon 5

Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers

Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven

Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine

Hotel California - Eagles

Irresistible Bliss - Chris Botti




What's your favorite song to listen to when you need a moment of peace? Let us know in the comments below!




For more GPS Guides, click here[4] .



Also on HuffPost:




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  • Eases Anxiety In Cancer Patients


    Researchers from Drexel University found that cancer patients who either listened to music or worked with a music therapist experienced a <a href="http://news.health.com/2011/08/12/music-eases-cancer-patients-anxiety-study/" target="_hplink">reduction in anxiety</a>.

    The review by the Cochrane Collaboration included 1,891 people with cancer, and found that people who participated in music somehow not only had decreased anxiety, but also <a href="http://news.health.com/2011/08/12/music-eases-cancer-patients-anxiety-study/" target="_hplink">better blood pressure levels</a> and improved moods, HealthDay reported.




  • Reduces Stress


    If you listen to your iPod every day on your way to work or break out the guitar every evening, then you'll like this finding.

    A doctoral thesis from the University of Gothenburg reveals that <a href="http://www.samfak.gu.se/Faculty+of+Social+science/News/News/News_Detail//everyday-music-listening-reduces-stress.cid1066914" target="_hplink">listening to music every day</a> lowers stress. The thesis was based on the results of two studies, which showed that people who listened to music also felt positive emotions.

    "But it should be pointed out that when studying emotional responses to music it is important to remember that all people do not respond in the exact same way to a piece of music and that one individual can respond differently to the same piece of music at different times, depending on both individual and situational factors," thesis author Marie Helsing said <a href="http://www.samfak.gu.se/Faculty+of+Social+science/News/News/News_Detail//everyday-music-listening-reduces-stress.cid1066914" target="_hplink">in a statement</a>. "To get the positive effects of music, you have to listen to music that you like."




  • Helps During Surgery


    Listening to music while lying on the operating table could help to <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1929994,00.html" target="_hplink">lower stress</a>, <em>TIME</em> reported.

    The research, conducted by Cleveland Clinic researchers, included patients -- mostly with Parkinson's disease -- as they were undergoing brain surgery. The researchers found that the study participants who listened to <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1929994,00.html" target="_hplink">pure melodies</a> -- versus just rhythmic arrangements, or a mix of the two -- were comforted the most. Their brains also reflected this calming, <em>TIME</em> reported, with some of the study participants even falling asleep.




  • Protects Your Ears' Sound-Processing Abilities


    A 2011 study in the journal <em>Psychology and Aging</em> shows that being a lifelong musician is linked with <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/quick-study-lifelong-music-training-may-help-stave-off-hearing-loss/2011/09/28/gIQA0JI4IL_story.html" target="_hplink">better sound processing</a>, the <em>Washington Post</em> reported.

    The study included 163 people (74 of whom had played music all their lives). The researchers also found a link between hearing test scores and the amount of time the study participants practiced their music, according to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/quick-study-lifelong-music-training-may-help-stave-off-hearing-loss/2011/09/28/gIQA0JI4IL_story.html" target="_hplink">the <em>Washington Post</em></a>.




  • Boosts Heart Health


    Odd as it may seem, University of Maryland Medical Center researchers have found a link between listening to music and heart health.

    The researchers found that listening to joyful music is linked with <a href="http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/music-cardiovascular.htm" target="_hplink">dilation of blood vessels' inner lining</a>, meaning more flow of blood through the blood vessels. Specifically, the diameter of blood vessels grew by 26 percent when a person listened to happy music. However, the opposite effect was noted when a person listened to anxiety-triggering music -- blood vessel diameter <em>decreased</em> by 6 percent as a result.

    The research was presented in 2008 at a meeting of the American Heart Association.




  • Soothes Pain


    Researchers from University of Utah Pain Research Center showed that listening to music is effective as a distraction for anxiety-prone people <a href="http://healthcare.utah.edu/publicaffairs/news/current/01-06-2012_Study_Pain_Relief.html" target="_hplink">from feeling pain</a>, and as a result, could help people feel less pain.

    The study, which included 143 people, was published in the <em>Journal of Pain</em>. The researchers found that music helped the study participants to have less arousal when shocked with non-dangerous fingertip electrodes.




  • Helps Memory


    Kids <a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20030728/music-lessons-verbal-memory" target="_hplink">who take music lessons</a> could be doing their brains a favor, according to Hong Kong researchers.

    WebMD reported that taking music lessons is linked with doing better on tests where you have to recall words you read on a list.

    And "the more music training during childhood, the better the verbal memory," study researcher Agnes S. Chan, PhD, a psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, <a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20030728/music-lessons-verbal-memory" target="_hplink">told WebMD</a>. "This strongly implies that the better verbal memory in children with music training is not simply a matter of differences in age, education level, or their family's socioeconomic characteristics."




  • Protects The Aging Brain


    Having musical training could <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/04/25/music-training-may-help-keep-aging-brain-healthy" target="_hplink">protect your mental sharpness</a> in old age, according to a 2011 study in the journal <em>Neuropsychology</em>.

    HealthDay reported on the study of 70 people ages 60 to 83, with varying levels of music experience. The researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center found that the people who had the <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/04/25/music-training-may-help-keep-aging-brain-healthy" target="_hplink">most musical training</a> in their lives had the best mental sharpness, and scored the highest on brain functioning tests.




  • Prevents Heart Transplant Rejection (In Mice)


    It may so far only be shown in mice, but it's still pretty amazing: Japanese researchers found that exposing mice to certain kinds of music was linked with "prolonged survival" after a <a href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/classical-music-boosts-heart-transplant-survival-in-mice-40561/" target="_hplink">heart transplant</a>, Miller-McCune reported.

    The mice in the study were exposed to either Mozart, Verdi (opera music), New Age-type music, no music at all, or a sound frequency. Mice who listened to Mozart and Verdi had a <a href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/classical-music-boosts-heart-transplant-survival-in-mice-40561/" target="_hplink">longer survival time</a> after the heart transplant, compared to the other mice, according to Miller-McCune.




  • Improves Stroke Recovery


    Finnish researchers found that listening to music soon after a stroke could <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/02/20/35390.aspx" target="_hplink">help with recovery</a>, News Medical reported.

    Published in 2008 in the journal <em>Brain</em>, researchers found that <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/02/20/35390.aspx" target="_hplink">listening to music</a> was linked with improved verbal memory and attention among stroke patients, compared with listening to audio books or not listening to anything at all.




  • Works As Well As A Massage At Lowering Anxiety


    Massages are super-relaxing, sure -- but a study in the journal <em>Depression and Anxiety</em> shows that music could also do the trick, at least when it comes to <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2010/03/19/music-soothes-anxiety-as-well-as-massage-does" target="_hplink">decreasing anxiety</a>.

    Researchers from the Group Health Research Institute found that patients who got 10 hour-long massages had the same <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2010/03/19/music-soothes-anxiety-as-well-as-massage-does" target="_hplink">decreased anxiety symptoms</a> three months later as people who simply listened to music (and went sans-massage), HealthDay reported.

    The study included 68 people who received the 10 massages with music, laid down while listening to music (but didn't get a massage), or were wrapped with warm pads and towels while listening to music (but didn't get a massage), according to HealthDay.




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