Sing alone or in a church choir or community chorus or karaoke bar. Sing made-up nonsense songs or parts of real songs, belt out the melody, change the words, sing in the shower, sing off-key, sing in your car, sing with a family member or sing to your pets.
Exercising Face Muscles as You Sing Lets You Physically Loosen Up
You do not have to be a perfect singer, just remember to sing in a hearty and loud manner, drawing out the words and melody in an exaggerated way, so you work face muscles. By articulating and accentuating the words, your face and neck muscles will physically unwind. Besides being relaxing, singing – through reduction of stress – can help lower blood pressure naturally.
Singing also seems to improve the immune system while reducing stress. Reported in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Behavior Medicine, scientists from the University of Frankfort in Germany surveyed a choir rehearsing Mozart’s Requiem. Blood samples of choir members were analyzed before and after the rehearsal. At the end of the 60-minute rehearsal, immune system antibodies and the anti-stress hormone hydrocortisone were significantly increased. A week later, while just listening to the rehearsal, no difference was found in blood results.
Focusing on a Song’s Words and Melody Puts You Mentally and Emotionally at Ease
Singing banishes negative, emotional thoughts, whether home- or job-related that contribute to every day stress. People who are singing, whether solo or in a chorus, have a look of deliberation that places them in a world of concentration and contentment, elevates them to a high and sets them up for a good mood. Hearing your own voice singing the words and melody of a choice song brings a gush of remembrance and satisfaction.
When the songs (or parts of songs) sung are favorites, pleasurable images form in the mind of unforgettable events that have happened and noteworthy places visited. Furthermore, at the University of Manchester in England, researchers found that a small, primitive organ in the inner ear – the sacculus – responds to sound frequencies that are recurrent in singing. The sacculus connects to an area of the brain that registers joy.
Singing as Therapy
Many music therapy teachers believe that singing releases feel-good hormones (endorphins) and that people are discovering they can sing for the goodness of their souls, coming within reach of a spiritual state. Singing is a tool to let you remove daily, worrisome stress, and eventually, with practice, you can travel down the hassle-free road to happiness.
Reference:
Carol, Shawna. The Way of Song: A Guide to Freeing the Voice and Sounding the Spirit. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003.
Arlene Lengyel - Arlene is a graduate of Clayton College of Natural Health with a Doctor of Naturopathy degree. Naturopathy promotes an all-inclusive, ...
