Last summer I was away at a cottage with no Internet and came home to a broken connection as well, lol! Here are some thoughts from my return...
It's now been a little over 6 months since the Covid 19 pandemic began. For me the onset of the crisis was marked with the cancellation of a March Break trip to Cuba with my mom and then adjusting to home schooling. Some of you may already know that I am also a full-time elementary school teacher so the stress of reinventing teaching as I knew it by adapting my program added to online privacy and safety concerns and ultimately contributed to some levels of anxiety. As I am sure many of you also experienced working from home...
But above all, this is nothing in comparison to what others have gone through. I feel disheartened for those who lost their job, those who contracted Covid and battled the disease to stay alive. Most importantly, I am extremely saddened by the incredible number of people who were defeated by Covid and lost their lives to it. If you lost a loved one to Covid, I am truly sorry... Please know that my heart goes out to you and I wish you the best in the circumstances. We are collectively sending all of those who are hurting healing energy.
2020's Covid 19 will be remembered as the tragedy of a century.
The overall fear of catching Covid and the general hysteria surrounding essential resources, social distancing and wearing masks continues to persist although the situation is greatly improving.
I am fortunate and grateful that many of my singer clients were able to continue pursuing singing despite the devastating losses in revenues notably in the entertainment business. For my part, I tried to take advantage of the extra time to create singing resources which include the creation of this Facebook group and other initiatives that I will soon be launching.
This morning I realized that while the world came to a complete stop, I never did. To the contrary, I began to work in earnest and turned myself on productivity mode. But to be honest, I have come to the point where I am now feeling totally exhausted. Mentally and physically exhausted! Am I going mad? Am I burning out? Am I the only one feeling this way? Who's with me here?!
I have felt like this before during university, my first couple years of elementary school teaching, and even sometimes when dedicating myself towards singing although this is and will always remain my #1 passion :)
This reminds me that to keep learning and progressing in singing and in life, to keep the fire ALIVE, we must allow some time for rejuvenation.
It is easy to forget as you want to see your efforts come to fruition. It is easy to forget when your art is tied to financial gain. It is easy to forget when there is a big machine behind you and a group of people depending on your very success. The pressure to show up is heavy!
But what might happen if you ignore the need to rest and compose yourself? If you continue to perform despite hints from your body and mind that you need a break?
You will waste time by taking twice as much to adequately learn songs, complete your recordings and meet other vocal goals. Your low-energy will reflect on your vocal control and you will wear out your voice. You will start selling yourself short with your lack of enthusiasm. Your band mates will worry about your capabilities and role as a frontman/woman. Your fans wil0l start loosing interest and look for someone more exciting; someone who inspires them with his/her zest for life.Your dream will start fading away more quickly than it took to get you this far. You must ACT now!
When you give yourself permission to pause, you allow your vocal cords to rest and your body to release unwanted stress. You make space in your heart for renewed emotions of excitement and joy. You lift your spirit by creating a fresh vision of how to develop your sense of self and talent. You get clarity on what next step to take in order to advance your career. Your singing benefits from ALL angles!
In the grand scheme of things, a vacation may be calling. But before it comes to that, rejuvenation starts in our daily tasks. Be smart about it:
Sleep at least 7-8 hours daily.Take frequent breaks when you practice: 5-10 min per hour.Allow yourself to step away from singing for a minimum of a day after a performance or 12 hours if on tour.Take some well-deserved time-off following a project completion. Create frequent opportunities to read books, go for nature walks, exercise, practice yoga, mediate, etc... Do stuff that have NOTHING to do with singing. Unplug for a few hours or days as you see fit. I will be the first to admit that this can be hard to do! If like me you are a bit of a workaholic, plan this time purposefully in advance so you'll have no choice to drop everything and rejuvenate! Since I could use some of my own advice, I head up to a beautiful cottage in Callabogie, On for the week. Okay, I cheated and took my guitar along but it's fine because I've literally been glued to the computer screen 12 hours a day for the last 6 months! Boy, did I need this! My boyfriend captured this impromptu but peaceful moment by the lake. There were no neighbors around; just me, the trees and the birds! Awww.... This felt so AMAZING!
I am ready to get more of you on the right track towards effortless singing. I have already opened up some time slots on my calendar to talk to you this week. If you are wanting to get rid of vocal straining for good, I'm happy to help with a personalized approach. Schedule your free Breakthrough Session here: www.voiceyourselfsinging.com/apply
Sing your heart out!
Val