There are two key inner critics we often come across in singing.
The occasional inner critic and the full time inner critic.
First, let’s ensure we’re on the same page by defining inner critic:
‘Inner critic refers to an inner voice that judges, criticises, or demeans a person whether the self-criticism is objectively justified.’
Today we're talking about the occasional inner critic.
For the singer who experiences the occasional inner critic, you’re generally satisfied with how you're going on your singing journey, and in your life. By now, you understand that singing is not a quick fix activity, although we would LOVE it to be! You know that singing is a practice that requires daily consistency and time so you constantly aim to learn something new. Whether it’s a big or small goal, you set healthy goals each week to work towards improving your voice.
Let’s talk about those times when you feel like your singing is ‘off’.
Those times when your voice isn't responding the way you want it to and maybe even feels like you've gone backwards in progress (it hasn’t!). It's not uncommon to feel frustrated with how your voice is responding to the songs or warmups you choose to sing during different seasons of your life.
It’s normal to experience moments when we begin to accumulate negative thoughts. You might hear that inner critic say things like, ‘I'm not getting anywhere’ or ‘Why can't I sing the way I want too?’, or wanting to be able to sing like somone else.
Whether these occasional thoughts and feelings are new for you or frequently experienced on your singing journey, it often stems from a space of being fatigued.
When we experience fatigue either physically, emotionally or energetically it can be hard to notice or pick up on during the experience. Due to our busy day to day lives we often push through and aren’t aware of our general fatigue that significantly impacts on everything we do.
It’s common and normal to experience tiredness, which can also cause tiredness of thoughts, moving us away from logical clear thoughts that we can reason with! Your thoughts, emotions and mind are less resilient when experiencing fatigue. Even poor sleep can raise the voice of your inner critic.
It’s important to know what to do when you become aware of the occasional inner critic and what it’s saying to you because your singing voice can be impacted by what’s going on inside of you. What you say to yourself matters, and that inner critic is rarely saying positive and uplifting things.
Soulful experiences like singing, which should be an outlet and exploration, a joy and a way of positively expressing yourself and your needs, can become a task only goal-obsessed activity, that loses the joy and nature of the voice. Both are good in balance but when you’re fatigued it’s important to focus on the soul expression of singing instead.
When the inner critic is loud award yourself deep grace. Understand that this is not usually the way you think or feel and allow your body and mind to rest and be nurtured.
So, what do you do when you feel like you aren't making any ‘progress’ (even though that may not really be the case) because of the state you're in?
Here are three simple steps to guide you to the kind of experience you want to be having when you're in a tired state, when your mind lacks resilience, and you need to self-care.
1. Drop into a breathwork practice. We have wonderful courses for you to do in your own time and at your own pace. We recommend doing our breathwork program if you don’t already have your own favourite go to.
2. Find a song that is perfectly in your range with absolutely no stretch. Within this song don't aim for improvement - sing it to feel good (or perhaps a cry will help?) to release whatever is inside of you that's bringing you down in your voice, and in your environment.
3. Move towards meditation vocal exercises and take a rest from trying to progress. Simply move into an experience of allowing your body to be one with your voice and with music.
There is a season for everything. Sometimes your season is to rest and reset. During these times use your voice as an instrument of expression rather than for progression. Allow your voice to simply be, and have compassion for your body.
Don’t cut it out completely – you don’t want to leave your voice behind. Nurture your voice, and yourself, so you can connect with how you truly feel. Breathwork is a fabulous way to help your entire nervous system reset and can help you through this season, whether it be for a few days, a week, a month or even longer.
Remember, that inner critic rarely speaks the truth! We’ll share more about this in upcoming blogs.
Our team and community are here for you.
We all experience these things (teachers and students alike). Reach out.
With Love,
SingSquad
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