Life isn’t easy. Between the stressors of working, paying bills, having a social life, taking care of kids and pets, and dating and relationships, there are so many things that give us anxiety every day. Navigating how to combat this stress can also be difficult, especially if therapy isn’t an accessible option for you. So what exactly can you do to relieve this stress? While we know activities like yoga, exercise and eating healthy are natural stress relievers, things like music therapy are helpful as well.

For a long time, music has been used for healing and therapy. Music can help you sleep, can boost your mood and energy and can help ease depression and anxiety. While all genres of music are beneficial in healing, the type of music that we listen to matters.

Genres like Jazz and Lofi music in particular are known for being naturally soothing stress relievers. Lofi music is known to create a calm ambiance. This can generate relaxation among listeners, help you concentrate and boost your overall mood and well-being. So what exactly is Lofi music and what does it do? Let’s break it down.

What is Lofi Music?

Lofi stands for low fidelity, contrasting with high fidelity. It is a blend of multiple genres, including jazz, hip-hop electronic and house. The rhythmic patterns in Lofi music make it calm and soothing. It has therapeutic effects that promote relaxation, a calm aura, healing, and focus. Even though Lofi contrasts with high-quality production, there are so many characteristics and quirks that this music genre has. Some of those characteristics include drum loops, piano playing and saxophone notes. The blending of melodies and beats is what makes this genre unique.

How To Use Lofi Music

Lofi music can be used for various activities. A lot of people like to play this type of music in their homes while they are cleaning, sleeping and relaxing. It’s great for exercising and yoga as well, as it can put you in relaxation mode and help you focus on your routine. Many college students and working individuals use Lofi to help them study, do homework and work.

Lofi has blown up on social media lately, particularly on YouTube. Lofi videos can be found on the platform, typically with an anime or character background or a calming and picturesque background. These videos typically play on a loop for a few hours or are available for live streaming. Some Lofi videos are even categorized for different activities, like ‘Lofi music for studying’ or ‘chill Lofi beats to relax to’ and ‘workout lofi’ to make things easier to navigate.

Popular Lofi Channels to Listen To

Explore these Lofi YouTube channels, which offer hundreds of different types of Lofi for studying, relaxing, yoga and more.

Afro Lofi (@afrolofi)

For a wide range of Lofi videos, check out Afro Lofi on YouTube. They have all types of Lofi music to vibe to including 90s R&B Lofi, zodiac Lofi and R&B Lofi for your daily commute and more. Each video features a Black animated character and their channel is catered towards Black Lofi listeners. Check out their Black Joy Lofi, their HBCU afro beats Lofi and their Jackie Robinson Lofi tribute videos.

A Lofi Soul (@A-Lofi-Soul)

Relax and unwind with A Soul Lofi. With over 30 videos from one to three hours long, this channel highlights upbeat Lofi, work-from-home Lofi, soul and hip-hop Lofi and more. Choose from a ton of different types of Lofi sounds, all complete with an animated character and pink, orange sunset colors in the background.

Lofi Girl (@LofiGirl)

With over 14 million subscribers, Lofi Girl is one of the most popular Lofi YouTube channels. They managed to attract Lofi music listeners with their unique videos pertaining to the same theme, the animated girl studying by the window non-stop. They bring a unique take to Lofi with their videos like the chill beats for Lego building, Lofi beats to play chess to, Lazy Sunday Lofi and more.

Lofi Everyday (@lofieveryday364)

If you’re looking for peaceful morning vibes or late-night chill music, Lofi Everyday is your go-to channel. Posting almost daily, they have a wide range of Lofi music videos for studying, different seasons and holidays, coffee shop vibes and more.

Chill Cities Vibes (@chillcitiesvibes)

Immerse yourself into a rainy night with the Chill Cities Vibes channel. From Lofi music on rainy nights in Tokyo to ‘80s city vibes or rainy days in Sweden, this channel lets your imagination flow as you listen to the rain sounds, the piano notes and the hip-hop beats.

The Jazz Hop Café (@TheJazzHopCafe)

For unique Lofi mixes, take a dive into exploring the over 200 videos The Jazz Hop Café has on their channel. From cat café mixes to boba tea shop, arcade room and Tokyo mixes, they have a little bit of everything and something to offer for everyone.

Relaxing Jazz Piano (@relaxingjazzpiano6491)

For those of you who prefer to listen to just Jazz music, check out the Relaxing Jazz Piano channel. They have a ton of soothing videos including spring piano jazz, Christmas jazz, cozy coffee shop jazz and more.