Any music fan will tell you the endless benefits it has in promoting mental health. Be it a happy tune to put a smile on your face or an emotional song to help tap into what you are going through, music is one of the most rousing, powerful forces on the planet. Through his book and namesake playlist, The Peace of Mind Playlist, Paul Parry offers people to the chance to quieten their inner critic. We caught up with Paul for more on this unique venture, named Mental Health Project of the Year 2025.
Through a playlist and accompanying book designed for overthinkers and music lovers alike, Paul Parry offers songs and strategies to help people silence the nagging voice inside themselves, the one that criticises their decisions. The aim here is to deliver peace of mind, something Paul sought himself during his time working away at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where the seed for this project was planted. Now, nearly four years later, it has blossomed into something transformative for people from all over the world.
Going back to the beginning, Paul’s job in sports media takes him to every corner of the map, and, like many people who work in these kind of settings, he previously struggled with what was going on in his head during periods away from home. A post on LinkedIn about this very subject lit a spark within Paul, who felt compelled to share his own experiences. Stopping him was the little voice inside his head, the one that sent a gust of self-critical thought his way every time a new thought appears – something many people experience.
At the same time, Paul would scroll through Spotify, listening to the playlists he built every year to help him remember the previous 12 months – in all of its ups and downs. This was exactly the ‘in’ Paul needed, and he recognised he could leverage everything he had learned from these playlists and channel it into a mental health project, especially for men over 30. The result, The Peace of Mind Playlist, bridges personal stories with the research Paul has undertaken over the last few years, specifically concerning the human brain.
Forty-nine songs old and new comprise the playlist, with artists ranging from the Beatles and David Bowie to Pink Floyd, Oasis, Etta James, and even Selena Gomez. These songs span every mood, from the exhausted desperation in ‘I’m So Tired’ to the cautious optimism of ‘Breathe (In The Air)’, making it perfect for managing what goes on in our heads.
These songs, as well as how they relate to mental health, are explored further in the aforesaid book, which is divided into four parts. The first two parts (which cover five and seven songs, respectively), are about context and getting started, whereas parts three and four move into the theory, scenarios, and explaining the strategies behind a song’s inclusion.
Before publishing the book, Paul produced 130 demo copies, which he gave to friends, family, and people he felt would be interested. Taking their opinions and feedback on board, Paul has since developed The Peace of Mind Playlist into something more, seen through its latest offering: a 28-page newspaper focusing on practical ways to manage anxiety.
‘The Daily Anxiety’, as it will be called, has recently been launched as a Kickstarter, with plans in place to bring it to print (digital and physical) in the new year if the campaign meets its funding goal. A one-off issue, the purpose of the newspaper is to be picked up, read, and passed around like a regular newspaper. It is less of a commitment picking up a paper than it is a book, and recognising this, Paul’s aim through the project is to promote discourses around male anxiety.
As for its contents, Paul explained: “The paper will feature exclusive interviews with an Olympic champion, two therapists, the lead singer of the UK’s brightest new ska band, the founder of a community for men in and around London, and two with me.” Funny, engaging, and featuring art from a local, up-and-coming artist, this is a transformative read.
Paul is continuing to promote ‘The Daily Anxiety’ for the rest of the year, balancing this alongside his work with Amp Media Partnership LLP, an international content agency serving some of the largest sports organisations on the planet, and Parry Media Services Limited, his own business. Fortunately, the techniques discussed in both the book and newspaper help Paul to manage his anxiety, and they are capable of doing the same for others too, addressing an underlying epidemic in men’s mental health in the process.
More information about The Peace of Mind Playlist, including a link to all the songs within it through Spotify, is available by following the link to the web address below.
Contact Details
Contact: Paul Parry
Company: The Peace of Mind Playlist
Web Address: https://www.thepeaceofmindplaylist.com/
