A Restorative Self-Care Playlist to Put On While You Hang Out and Do Nothing

“It might actually be the most excellent time of the year: That special week when the rush of the holidays has started to subside and the lure of making New Year’s Eve plans still feels far off enough to ignore. If you’re feeling especially in the mood to chill out and do nothing this week, this is the playlist for you.

You won’t find upbeat rhythms or fast, motivating tempos on this lineup. In fact, I genuinely hope you put this on, and then don’t do much at all. Stay cozy in bed, read a good book, or perhaps gaze out the window and daydream for a bit.

The songs on this playlist span genres and generations. You’ll listen to “Moon River” by Frank Ocean, a modern cover of the classic 1960s tune to kick things off, and eventually end on the Etta James version of “Stormy Weather.”. Between those, there are a few more covers—“Free Fallin’” by John Mayer and “Friday I’m in Love” by Yo La Tengo—plus several more quiet songs from this decade and the last. Whether you’re listening to Adele’s “Easy on Me” or Landon Pigg’s “Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop,” it’s not hard to tell that most of these songs are very much about *feelings*—falling in or out of love, apologizing about the past, expressing hope about the future, or just working through whatever’s holding space in your head and heart. Music in particular can be great for that: Allowing us to sit with a mood when words seem to fail.

So here’s hoping you take the length of this playlist to actually relax and stay grounded in a calm moment. January will be here soon, and we know you’ll hit the ground running.

Full playlist:

“Moon River” by Frank Ocean

“Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish

“Glimpse of Us” by Joji

“Riptide” by Vance Joy

“Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift

“Free Fallin’ - Live at the Nokia Theatre” by John Mayer

“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

“I Feel It Coming” by The Weekend, Daft Punk

“Bad Times - Acoustic Version” by Ra Ra Riot

“The Scientist” by Coldplay

“SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” by Joji

“Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop” by Landon Pigg

“Easy on Me” by Adele

“exile” by Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver

“When I’m With Him” by Empress Of, Perfume Genius, Jim E-Stack

“Falling for U” by Peachy!, mxmtoon

“Describe” by Perfume Genius

“Sisyphus” by Andrew Bird

“Funny Girl” by Father John Misty

“Friday I’m in Love” by Yo La Tengo

“Lilo” by The Japanese House

“True Love Will Find You in the End” by Wilco

“Stormy Weather” by Etta James”

Read the full article on Self

✨Takeaway: Music can be a good way to relax and get grounded. This playlist has some low-key and calming songs. Feel free to share more below!

✨Reflection: What’s your favorite restorative self-care song?

#Music #Self-Care #Restorative #Health #Wellness #Wellbeing #Positive