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Understanding and Managing Stress for the Singer

2031 - Oct 2021

1. HOW OFTEN DOES THE SUBJECT OF STRESS COME UP WITH YOUR SINGERS?

I can’t tell you how many times I have spoken to a student about stress. Sooner or later, it comes up with almost everyone I have ever taught. What I have found in all these years is that a majority of people know very little about the impacts of stress. Yes certainly, we heard about stress all day on television and in the media. In fact, we hear about it so much that many people tune it out and just try to get by with whatever they can because their lives are so busy. And in the last several years, the stress levels have increased that many are either overwhelmed or tuning out and withdrawing into their own orbit to mitigate the impact of the new deluge of constant stress. 

Since Singers are Performers are by their nature very sensitive people and they have to manage their Stress levels because the nature of their work is so physical and so public. There are so many conversations and videos available on Social Media as to how these current levels of stress are impacting people. However, with so many to choose from and so many suggestions, it is challenging to know which advice to follow sometimes. 

2. WHAT MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR SINGERS TO DEAL WITH STRESS?

Singers and Performers have their own levels of stress to deal with in normal times just like anyone else. However, due to the multiple demands of a Singer’s job and the need to do well and sing well and, for many perform at a professional level, it is really crucial to have an individual understanding of how to deal with the impacts of stress upon yourself. It pays to really understand yourself and how your body, mind and spirit interact with different levels of stress as it shows up in your life. 

That is another really important reason to train your voice. At the very least, good training mitigates the impact that stress can have upon the very basic task for a singer to make sound. Vocal Training has to include a steadying influence so that you can be focused and calm, strong and still available on stage no matter what else might be happening in your life or in your surroundings. Exercises provide a home base which will show up when you get stressed out and your body goes on automatic. If your training is based on the right things, your technique should show up no matter what. That’s like having money in the bank for a rainy day!!

3.  WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND STRESS IN ORDER TO MANAGE IT?

What is understood, is much easier to manage. If you are oblivious to how to manage yourself and the things that really bother you, and many people are, it becomes a gargantuan task to get to a point where you can sing and perform well and sound your best. Managing your own personal self, including your own personal stress levels and triggers, is one of the most important things a Singer can learn.

First of all, stress does not impact everyone in exactly the same way. Stress usually expresses itself as a physical event for the body, which then cascades and spreads to impact us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Performers always get excited! It is normal to get a little nervous before a performance and even more normal to get excited and confuse that with stress or stage fright of some kind. Some singers get so excited before they perform that they literally get sick. Some get so nervous that they have to be physically pushed onto the stage only to relax when they finally get out there and the show has begun. Although that is very stressful, most of the time that is manageable. You can learn to manage yourself and learn to perform no matter what.

However, stage fright is not the only kind of stress that we are discussing. I’m also referring to the stress that comes from dealing with your life and yourself from day to day. I’m thinking now of the stress of life as we know it these days, which is off the charts, and the responsibilities that we all have to deal with in our lives. That is difficult enough sometimes! And then, on top of that, you have to show up and perform and make it look like you are fine!!

Too much stress can and often does affect our sleep patterns, our digestion, our emotional state and certainly can affect how we perceive our day to day including our immediate environment. Stress can make you depressed, lethargic, and depressed. It can impact your mood and your feelings to change your outlook and make it impossible to concentrate. It can make your body stiff and even cause you to get sick. 

In fact, the nervous system, which is extremely affected by stress, runs along the same channels as your immune system in the body and, as we have heard so many times on television, that can lead to all kinds of medical situations that would make it, at the very least, uncomfortable to sing well... let alone have a great night on stage.

4. WOULD YOU SHARE WITH US SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU TEACH YOUR STUDENTS ABOUT THIS?

Sure! The very first thing that I work on with my singers is exploring their mental attitude about things. Thoughts are truly things and if you have a good mental outlook, you can create better results. Now granted, some stresses can come from medical situations and some things that are beyond the scope pdf this discussion, but, in general, having a good or great mental outlook is a great start. It is really almost impossible to create a positive result when you are in a negative state. If your attitude, thoughts or feelings are negative then it is highly unlikely that your experience will reflect anything but that negatively. 

However, if you are aware of your own triggers and your mental attitude, you can make choices to change your state. Let’s say you have too much on your plate and you have deadlines and you have to get a certain amount of things done and you think you do not have the time. One way to alleviate stress is to delegate something that you need done that someone else can do. Save the things that only you can do for yourself and delegate everything else.

For example, if you are stressed about an audition, you can decide to see it as a performance. I tell my students to go to auditions but never to sing as if you are auditioning. I tell them to drop the idea of “auditioning” and always just go perform. If you are auditioning, you are asking or hoping for something. You are going there with the hope or expectation to get the job. However, if you go to the audition and change it in your mind to a performance, you can enjoy it as a chance to expand and enjoy your craft, entertain and have a good time because you love to sing and make it a joyful experience. So many of my students do very well with that approach. Even if they do not get that particular job, they have a good time practicing their skills and making connections for future opportunities.

5. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PHYSICAL REACTIONS IN THE BODY TO STRESS?

The body instantly experiences a cascade of many different things when you get stressed. The physical reactions are that the blood vessels constrict to direct most of the blood to the center of the body. This is a reaction of the old brain to protect you from attack. Your nostrils will flare in an attempt to increase the inhalation process. That is why slowing down your breathing is a great reaction to increased levels of stress. Your breath rate and also your heart rate increase to facilitate an increased distribution of blood and your pupils dilate to increase your vision. Again, this is all an automatic reaction from the old brain to protect you from attack. The body experiences a state of hyper awareness to help with the impending threat and to save ultimately you. 

The body and the nervous system can handle this when it is not too often. They can manage this for a short period of time.However, these days, this is happening most every day in one form or another. And, in my opinion, that is why you are witnessing so many people snapping emotionally! But it does not have to be like this all the time. After a while, once the stress levels get too high and go on for too long, the Central Nervous System starts to retreat and begins shutting down. The Central Nervous System regulates the heart, pituitary gland, the posterior and anterior lobes of the brain, the sugar levels, the thyroid gland, the metabolic rate and the blood pressure…and on and on. This cannot go on and on. And then with all that, you are supposed to sing? That’s too much!!  All that can be relieved by slowing down but you have to know how.

6. WHAT IS ONE SIMPLE STRESS RELIEVING TECHNIQUE TO CALM THAT ALL DOWN?

First, slow down the rate of your breathing. Just by slowing down your inhale and the rate of your exhale, the central nervous system begins to react and starts slowing everything down. That is very useful short term and long term as a daily practice. That is simple and free and can be done anywhere.

One of the most valuable things that I have learned and passed on to my students is to practice having a Neutral mind. Yoga philosophy teaches us that we have the Positive Mind, The Negative Mind and the Neutral Mind. These three aspects help us to know what is good for us, what is bad for us and also how to have an observation of the two without reacting. In other words…instead of reacting to everything as either good or bad, just observe, watch the movie and take care of yourself and anticipate the outcome as it arrives and don’t get attached too much for either positive or negative outcomes . Those are judgments anyway. Sometimes the most horrible things come with the most amazing blessings. If you learn to be more Neutral, You can have an easier ride.

7. WHAT IS ANOTHER WAY TO LEARN TO RELIEVE STRESS?

Another approach is that I tell my students to begin a kind of relaxation training to apply to their everyday life. My Spiritual Teacher, Yogi Bhajan said to keep it simple. Exercise, Meditate, Work, Relax. Just do that every day and you will find a healthy rhythm starts to establish itself in your life. 

As technological advances increase the amount of information that we all have access to, it is most useful to have boundaries around that. Only so much time is allowed to the outside world and then the rest is for yourself. It is a great idea to develop some relaxing rituals for yourself to follow.

And there has to be a sanctuary in your home for you to leave the world behind and recharge. 

It can simply be a spot on the floor where you sit to relax with a special blanket. You can create a special place for yourself to just chill and stretch and be still ...and it can literally be anything or anywhere. A blanket, a pillow, a candle, some very chill music…very simple will do as long as it makes you feel more relaxed. For some people that is the bathtub. For some people it is the corner in their room… for some it is their porch or their backyard!

8. WHAT ARE SOME OTHER APPROACHES TO ALLEVIATE STRESS?

There are so many useful meditation systems to check out and explore. There are tons of recordings of all different kinds of Meditation and Healing Frequency Recordings on YouTube that are free for a listen. There are people giving all kinds of encouragement and healing. I have them playing in my kitchen as I start my day. There are also a ton of free exercise videos to choose from. 

There are options to learn to improve your problem solving techniques such as meditation and therapy. There are millions of fantastic books that you can read too improve your thinking and analysis skills. For the body, stress is a physical event that changes your experience on the physical plane. So, I highly recommend learning to stretch correctly and to develop a real relationship with water. Drink plenty of water and make sure to take either showers or baths to clean off the energies that you may have picked up along the way through your day. My personal favorite is a warm bath with the right lighting while listening to calming music after a long and difficult day. 

9. WHAT ABOUT RESTLESS NIGHTS?

At night, if you have trouble sleeping, there are supplements that can be taken or you can just lie still and slow down your breathing. Your mind and or body has for one reason or another decided to stay awake so don’t fight it. Unless not is a recurring medical issue, it is normal to sometimes be so charged up that you cannot fall asleep. So, just go with it. Sometimes, I wake up and cannot fall back to sleep. When that happens, I will get up and take a bath and do some easy stretches and perhaps read and usually that makes me tired enough to fall asleep. Then get back in the bed and practice regulating your breath and slow it down. Even if you cannot sleep, you will still be rested.

10. ANY SHORT COMMENT BEFORE WE GO?

When you feel stressed, do things that you enjoy. Almost anything that you love doing will relax you, for sure!