Why do I feel calmer with familiar music compared to new music?

Familiar music often feels calming because your nervous system already knows what to expect. There’s no need to stay alert for changes or surprises, so your body can soften more easily. That sense of predictability can be especially reassuring when you’re already feeling anxious or overloaded.

That doesn’t mean exploring new music isn’t worthwhile. On large platforms like Insight Timer, the variety can actually work in your favour. You’re not searching for the perfect track, you’re slowly noticing what your body responds to.

Things to try

• Return to the same tracks: repetition helps music become a safe, familiar anchor rather than something new to evaluate.

• Create a short 'safe' playlist of tracks: music you already know well and return to it during anxious moments rather than searching for something new.

• Explore slowly on Insight Timer: with such a large library, you can take your time noticing which styles, sounds, or voices your body responds to and naturally comes back to.

• Explore heart-centred solfeggio tones , blended subtly into ambient music for emotional safety rather than stimulation