Guest Author - Holly Webster

Studies have shown over and over again how quiet music can soothe adults and children. Use music to help bring down your stress levels and create a calm.

Each of us has music we enjoy. While your normal fun music might be heavy and upbeat, it's important to find some sort of quiet music that you also like. It might be a smoky ballad, or classical works, or new age melodies. Whatever it is that works well for you, find two or three CDs to begin with and build your collection from there.

Make time each day for a half hour of peace and quiet. Whether it's in the morning before you begin your day, in the afternoon when you can spare some time from your schedule, or in the evening when things get quiet and dark, it is important to give yourself that space to recharge.

Here are some of my personal favorites, to give you some suggestions.

Yanni - Live at the Acropolis Yanni did a lot of research into how people reacted to different kinds of music - what sort of music made them sad, happy, excited, pensive. He then turned his knowledge into a series of songs. This live show demonstrates how good he's become at his craft. The Orchestra is amazing, from the bass player to the violinists, and even non-classical-music lovers will be swept into the mood. Great dinner music. Buy at Amazon.com

Frank Sinatra - Nice 'n' Easy There's a reason why generations of music-lovers have swooned over Sinatra. This is great to play while you sit by the fire for the evening, giving each other backrubs with scented oils. Add in some chocolate and port, and you can't ask for much more! Buy at Amazon.com