Vocal Psychology: How To Handle Stress

In this article we’ll be discussing the methods I’ve incorporated in my coaching for singers to handle stress.

We are all familiar with stress. It’s a part of our everyday lives and it’s even in the language we use. What we don’t realise is how much it impacts our body as well.

The mind when it is stressed sends negative signals to our body. Our vocal cords become closed up, the throat becomes tight, joints become stiff and subconsciously we don’t realise this at all.

For singers, getting stressed is a challenge since you aren’t able to utilise your vocal muscles to produce your sound. The way to help this issue is to be in control of your mindset.

The mindset is the most powerful tool in singing but when you are burdened by stress and your body is all locked up. It can lead to singers feeling demotivated which puts you into a further distressed state.

Based on this diagram I’ve created, there are four types of stress that singers endure.

Learning about voice is much more than just simply singing. Singing is a creative outlet for us humans. We discover ourselves more deeply as we identify our strengths and weaknesses. The best part of the learning process is that music is therapeutic and it helps those who struggle with their brain health as a result.

Here are some of the methods I’ve incorporated in my sessions:

Empowering Exercises

In my class, empowering exercises is very important to counter the negative language that flows in your body when singers are stressed. This includes me constructing brain exercises for singers to do so they slowly practice having control of their mindset.

Positive Talk

Positivity really does change everything especially in education. When you make mistakes of course you feel disappointed but what do we do to replace the negativity?

I would make sure that I give a lot encouragement and incorporate positive talk because the brain and body will automatically respond. This is why it’s important to surround yourself with positive energy.

Usually backstage or at the recording studio, I will be there to give my support to the singers. Your emotions run high especially your nervous system when you have to perform or record a song so we need to learn how to erase or at least control the stress you might feel.

Body Movement & Breathing

A lot of breathing exercises including a body workout like yoga can help bring your mindset to centre. We do workouts as well in my class as you can see on clips posted on my Instagram.

Moving your body automatically makes you feel in control of everything you are. So try going for a five minute walk, start slowly. Don’t force yourself, a little goes a long way!

Just Sing!

Singing itself releases oxytocin and endorphins, so just sing! Practice does makes perfect even if you don’t feel like you’ve given your fully best, small steps will lead to big wins. The outcome is that you’ll feel amazing afterwards as it is one of the things you can do to release your stress.

The process with every singer is different. We collaborate to plan the achievement. The singer reconstructs their mind while I coordinate the appropriate program.

It takes 21 days for our muscles to memorise a new habit. If you start doing something once, you cannot expect the results to happen overnight.

The point of my class is to train the singers to be on autopilot on the day of the performance. The training process requires your body and mind to engage so you tend to forget the stress by the end of each session because you’re focused on being the best singer. Think of it as vocal therapy.

Our mindset is different according to the different situations of our lives but empowering your mindset will lead to better results of your singing.