11 Tools To Support Your Vocal Health: Do them today!

How do you support your vocal health?

There are things we can do everyday to keep our voice healthy, happy and ready to share our message with confidence and strength…

Here’s my checklist of 11 tools that you can incorporate today!

1. A.M. Vocal Warm-up – Wake up your voice slowly and gently with morning warm-up… stretch your vocal folds before you share your voice with others.

2. Hydrate – For optimal performance, your vocal folds need to be hydrated… don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water.

3. Sleeeeeep – Whether it’s 10 hours, 8 hours, or 4, get the rest you need to rejuvenate your voice.

4. Exercise – Yes, it is good for stress management, and overall body function, but exercise strengthens your core and all the muscles involved with breath management. This area of your body is key to using your voice effectively and efficiently.  

5. Deep Breathe – Most people walk around holding their breath or breathing from a shallow place in the body… allow your breath to expand into the low belly and low back. 

6. Supported Speaking Voice – Bring awareness to how you use your voice when you are not in the spotlight… use a supported and resonant speaking voice in all situations. Ditch the vocal fry, don’t get “off the body” when you make phone calls…keep whispering to a minimum. 

7. Loud Environments – From clubs to sporting events to networking gatherings, be aware of how you are using your voice when the atmosphere is noisy. Root for you favorite team, but cheer from the diaphragm. Get together with your friends and business associates, but don’t strain or push your voice to be heard. Use a supported sound or find a quiet corner to chat.  

8. Acid Reflux – Acid reflux or GERD can burn the vocal folds, causing swelling, hoarseness, and loss of healthy vocal function. Take action, like not eating late at night, to tame the effects of acid reflux. 

9. Medications – Some medications may cause the vocal folds to dry out. Ask your doctor if there may be a less drying alternative, or increase water intake to hydrate the vocal folds. 

10. Manage Stress – Find ways… have a go-to list… to help you manage stress in healthful ways. As we feel the full gamut of human emotions, our voice reflects those emotions. Holding back, pushing, or avoiding emotion may cause vocal tension. Allow your voice to express and release the stress in healthy and respectful ways.

11. Get Help – If you are serious about your voice and the impact you want to make, get help. Invest in a teacher or coach that understands the science and the art of using the voice. It is hard to cut our own hair; it is just as hard to coach ourselves in areas of the voice. We need outside help. I have a teacher and I have been singing and speaking professionally for over 30 years. We simply cannot hear what a trained instructor can hear. The results of working with a skilled teacher can be life-changing. 

– Look over this list… take a quick inventory of how you are doing in each area.

I went through and rated my actions on a 1-10 scale… I really need to drink more water and a few more hours of sleep would help 🙂

– How did you rate? What areas can you start implementing today?

– Celebrate the things you are already doing to support your vocal health.

– Do you have any tools that you use to make sure you stay vocally healthy?

I would love to hear what they are…please share them with us in the comment section below.

Have a great day and until next week…Always Rejoice In Your Voice™!

xoxoxo, Tricia

P.S. Are you interested in voice lessons? Email me today for your free 30-minute voice lesson on skype or in my studio. I will give you personalized tools to help you reach you vocal goals, talk about lesson options and we will discover if it is a good fit to work together. My email: triciapine@rejoiceinyourvoice.com I look forward to hearing from you!