It's the Holidays, how's your voice feeling?

You may be wondering, why does my voice always feel rough during the holidays? Maybe you even (mysteriously) lose your voice every year at this time.

There may be a really good reason why your voice struggles during the holidays.

Holidays = Gigs

It's the one time of year that singers are IN DEMAND baby!! Gigs are rolling in, sometimes 2-3 per day.
Also...

Holidays = Stress

Some of it good, some of it maybe not so good, but you are seeing family and friends that maybe you don't always get to be with, which can raise your stress level. Your routines are almost certainly disrupted, which can also do a number on your stress level.

Holidays = Food

Lots and lots of food. Just like our schedules get hijacked, so do our diets. So much food, rich food, sweet food, greasy food, just food food food. And when we eat like this, reflux rears it’s ugly head.

GIGS + STRESS + REFLUX = VOCAL FATIGUE

Wooooof!!! It’s no wonder our voices often feel so yucky during December.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to sustain vocal health during the holidays.

1. Schedule rest (vocal and otherwise).

Put it on your calendar. If you have a very busy performance day, schedule rest breaks (vocal naps) throughout the day.

2. Prioritize your schedule.

You don’t have to go to EVERY holiday party. Ok, maybe you do. But if you do go to all the holiday parties, you can arrive late, leave early, find the quiet spots at the party to take mini vocal naps, etc. Try to moderate some of your party behaviors: hold conversations in the quiet spots at the party, limit your alcohol (and be sure to drink LOTS of water to offset), and be sure to leave early enough you can get enough rest (see point #1).

3. Practice Singer Self-Care daily.

—Hydration is key. Drink water throughout the day. Steam for congestion and nebulize for surface hydration before and after singing.

—Use straw phonation or other SOVT (semi occluded vocal tract) exercises as part of your daily warmup and cool down protocol.

—Stretch your neck, back, ribs, hips. Check out my YouTube video with 4 essential singer stretches, here.

—Use basic laryngeal massage strategies for tongue, jaw, and the vocal mechanism to help release tension and maintain range of motion of the voice. Check out this YouTube video with a few of my favorites.

Wishing you (vocal) health and happiness this Holiday Season!