Too Much or Not Enough Tension?

Article

Meet Charlie. Yes, I named my lovely cello. I’ve had him for years.

Luckily, my home is a great place for him to remain in tune. If Charlie does need tuning, all the strings have will have changed a similar amount up or down in pitch, which means that he stays in tune with himself, which is a good way to be. There would only be issues when I play with other musicians in a band or orchestra!

I tell you this because I’ve just recently been asked again “Why do you talk/write so much about relaxation, reducing tensions and generally looking after yourself?”

If you’re wondering about that, here’s my answer…

We all know full well that our bodies require care and looking after i.e., maintaining our homeostasis. Homeostasis is the state of balance between all the body systems while adjusting to changing external conditions. Maintaining our homeostasis helps us stay well and feel healthy whilst compensating for some of the inevitable tension that creeps into our lives. This is the same for all, regardless of whether you are a leader, high-performer or otherwise!

When our body and mind are functioning optimally it is noticeable in:

• How our brain operates and its thought processes
• What we want to do or say
• How we behave
• How we sound.

When we're not at our best, like Charlie for example, when the temperature changes too fast or too much, it takes effort to behave well which creates more tension and fatigue. Sometimes, we even shut down as a coping strategy and our bodies can develop not enough tension at times.  Therefore, if we take care of ourselves (much like I do with Charlie), then we can be more in tune with ourselves, even when under pressure.

For a moment, just think of my cello, Charlie: when he's moved house into a different environment with different temperatures, or when he’s been travelling around in the back of my car in hot or cold weather, or he’s had a string changed because the old one got too tense and snapped (ouch!), I usually have to put some work in to re-tune him and get him sounding great again. Then…after that, it is down to how well, or not, I can play.

It’s the same with your voice and how you are presenting yourself to the outside world.

• With your body and mind in a good optimal state, it is much easier to sound great and come across well. Voice techniques, exercises, presence work are practised much more effectively in this state too. Realistically, I recognise we are not able to maintain our optimal state all the time, although we can certainly ensure that we do our best to aim for it as often as possible.

• With your body and mind in stress mode (which is now a constant for many), it is so much more difficult to sound great and come across well. From this place, no amount of voice exercises, techniques or knowledge about how to be more impactful, will make any lasting change.

What One Action Will You Take?

If I move Charlie into a different environment with a drastic change in temperature, I know that I will have to let him settle and then tune him slowly. I learned this lesson once when the thinnest string snapped right across my hand. I paid a painful price for pushing him too far that day!! Whilst Charlie’s strings can be replaced, ours can’t be. With this in mind, I’d like you to:

• Consider one action that you will take in your daily life that will take you towards your optimal state.
• Write it down, and possibly let me know by hitting reply, what your action will be and commit to it for a month.
• Reflect on how well it is going for you each week and at the end of the month.
• Continue the action if it is beneficial and change it if not.
• Enjoy and let me know how it goes for you if you like!

To close, take good care of your own strings - aka your mind, body and your voice. Your voice, presence and ability to communicate more effectively will improve over time the more you take care of yourself. If you’re already taking care of yourself well, you have my congratulations! Keep it up!

Please share your favourite self-care strategies as people in leadership and high-performance roles. If I get enough through, I will share them another time!

Please get in touch with me to schedule a FREE consultation if you want to enhance your or your team's voice, presence, influence, and communication skills.