Beauty Tips for Ministers
Because you're in the public eye, and God knows you need to look good.
Combating Vocal Fatigue
December 29, 2007 on 11:44 am | In Self Care |Dear ones,
‘Tis the season for vocal fatigue, so here are a few tips courtesy of PeaceBang’s old theater days:
1. Stay hydrated. Use a humidifier in dry rooms if possible, especially where you sleep. Consider daily use of a Neti pot to clear and hydrate sinuses — I just got one and I love it (it sure beats the old theatre trick of mixing up sea salt and warm water in our palms and snorting it up our noses before heading back onstage!).
2. Be aware that black tea and lemon both have astringent qualities. Better to stick with herbal teas or just warm water, a bit of lemon and honey.
3. Don’t get freaky about dairy : unless you’re an opera singer, having some dairy before big speaking engagements is no big deal, even if you have a cold or are congested. The way some folks react about dairy, you’d think that Bessie the Cow was personally pinching their noses shut and trying to suffocate them. Relax! Put some milk in your tea if you like. Don’t have a bowl of ice cream or a chocolate bar, but that slice of cheese on your toast will do you no harm.
4. WARM UP your voice. Learn to warm up your voice every Sunday morning and before every major speaking engagement. Not only should you get yourself breathing from the diaphragm, you should do so while producing sound. Stand in a grounded position in front of a mirror and put your fist on your abdomen. Make a LOUD sound like “whu-whu-whu” and feel your abdomen moving in and out. That’s a good way to wake that area up. Learn to sing some scales or use other vocal exercises. Warm up with your church choir. Move your face. Recite a poem, over-enunciating every word to get your diction muscles working. THERE ARE TOO MANY PREACHERS OUT THERE GIVING THE WORD WITH HALF THEIR LIFE FORCE! BREATHE, for the love of God, BREATHE! If you suspect you’re one of those preaching with a breathless, teeny-tiny voice, please see a vocal coach! No matter how wonderful or inspired your content, if you’re using half your breath in delivery, you’ll just sound unconvinced and unconvincing. Make it your new year’s resolution not to undermine yourself this way.
5. You can speak and sing over a fairly nasty cold. Trust PeaceBang on this. If nasal congestion is your biggest worry, you’re going to be fine. Coughing is another issue altogether and may require some kind of medication. However, because of the drying effects of sinus medication, I recommend that you forego it until after church and use your breath and your volume to speak and sing through nasal congestion. It can be done, and is often a far wiser choice than dealing with the dehydrating effects of decongestants (which can make your voice crack and itch, and produce coughing). If you must use drugs, try Sudafed Non-Drying Nasal Decongestant.
6. Keep essential oil of rosemary, eucalyptus and lavender on hand. Drop a few drops in a ceramic or glass bowl of very hot water and do the old towel-over-the-head routine. Don’t use too much oil or you’ll irritate your bronchial and nasal passages. Very little will do. Alternately, throw a few drops of eucalyptus oil into the shower before you get it and do a mini-steam bath. Essential oils are wonderful.
7. Stay warm. Keep your throat and your head covered at home and get plenty of rest. This too shall pass.
Kiss of peace.
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good to have you back!
Comment by Christine Robinson — December 29, 2007 #
Peppermint tea bags also work well for the hot water in a bowl & a towel trick.
so glad you’re back.
Comment by marcia — December 29, 2007 #
First of all: Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, PeaceBang!
Fighting currently a nasty cold myself your article is quite comforting.
I KNOW this will pass-but it´s annoying anyway. Particularly the sore, hellish burning throat.
Got a recital as a singer in two weeks,too. Means some doping by then!
Thank god no service tomorrow but two on New Year´s eve. Big gig.
Well- I had better follow PeaceBang´s advices and go to bed now.
Blessings!
Comment by chavale — December 29, 2007 #
Just bought a Vicks personal inhaler at the drugstore. Omigosh! This thing is like a MIRACLE! I have been battling excruciating sinus issues for a couple of months, and half an hour with this thing opens and drains my sinuses like nothing else. The trick is that it keeps generating hot steam for an extended period, unlike the hot water in the bowl, which cools off pretty quickly.
Best $30 I have spent in a very long time. [TESTIFY!! LOL - PB]
Comment by Parslife — December 29, 2007 #
Ditto on the drying effects of drugs like Sudafed — if I’m totally desperate, I take a half dose and chug a gallon of water. I don’t think they make the non-drying version anymore — or at least, I can’t find it anywhere!
An alternative to the sometimes hard to use Neti pot is Dr. Neils Sinus Rinse. It’s a plastic squeeze bottle with a perfectly shaped tip, comes with pre-measured packets of saline to mix with distilled water, can be heated in the microwave, and works like a charm. You lean forward over a sink instead of sideways, and it’s much easier to control the flow than when you’re pouring water into your sinuses. Instant relief from post-nasal drip, which can really mess with vocal production. I got mine from Walgreens for about $8.
My other secret for vocal health in the winter is Halls Breezer cough drops — they used to be called Fruit Breezers. They’re pectin-based instead of menthol, so they coat and sooth without drying or burning, great for that deep, annoying tickle that can be impossible to get rid of.
Comment by Jess — December 30, 2007 #
Oh! Oh! Throat Coat Tea!
Comment by marcia — December 30, 2007 #
Welcome back! I missed reading you. Thank you for being you and for sharing you with us.
Yikes, bad grammar, but you get the idea.
Comment by Jackie — December 30, 2007 #
I might have to get me that Vicks personal inhaler.
Thanks, PB, great post. And good to have you back. Hope you are refreshed, peaceful, and getting some good quiet time and good partying and whatever new lipstick you want.
Comment by Caroline Divine — December 31, 2007 #
for those who dislike the bad effects of sudafed, but like the clearing effects, i offer the suggestion of Mucinex. it helps me tremendously by thinning things out. it was the suggestion of an ear nose throat doctor after i went to her wanting help with the fact that i got sinus infections, tonsilitis and ear infections each several times a year. she also gave me the dr. neil’s sinus rinse setup, and using one or both as soon as i get sniffly or stuffy has resulted in me only being sick 2 times in the 3.5 years since then.
Comment by claire — January 1, 2008 #