Voice and Well-Being

Provocations are an inevitable part of modern life. Whether in personal, professional or virtual interactions, knowing how to behave and possibly respond appropriately is critical to maintaining one’s integrity. We will look at different strategies for dealing with provocation, focusing on how to remain clear-headed, choose the right emotions, and turn the situation into an opportunity for personal growth.

Mylena Vocal Coach often compares the human body to a musical instrument, where each emotion is a note that resonates in different parts of you. Emotions, the real ones, are not at all some thought that dwells only in your mind, this is well known even to science. Emotions are “something else” and always have some sort of resonance area where they manifest most in our bodies. Some of these “resonance zones” are so well-known and obvious that they have become part of everyday language and idioms, such as “eating your liver with rage” or “my heart is bursting.” These expressions reflect an ancient wisdom that recognizes the link between the body, emotions and physical sensations.

It must have occurred to you, too, to see some video that in a few seconds seems to be able to change your life and perspective, suggesting what at first glance appears to be a brilliant idea, but then on the practical side is, in all likelihood, completely different. These mini video tutorials are more or less all the same and follow along the lines of the “5 words not to say at a meeting” or “5 words forbidden in a presentation” script. They are certainly nice videos, capable of entertaining bored people. The problem is that more and more often we get requests for such approaches, especially from young people, we want to take a few minutes to explain why these are useless and moreover counterproductive pieces of advice (and even those who pass them off as valid, know this very well).

Do you remember the last time you were seriously hurt? Unless it was something particularly traumatic and severe, it is probably not easy to bring back the memory of it. In fact, when the physical pain fades, with it begins the process of removing it from memory. Even the most frequent aches and pains, for example mosquito bites, are forgotten within days of the last sting. Yet some pains are still present and firmly rooted in your daily life. Which ones? The pain experienced from being laughed at, rejected or unfairly insulted, even by strangers is something you do not forget. The wounds inflicted by words, even among children, often leave deeper and more lasting scars than those that are left on the skin.

Understanding the importance of the relationship between personal identity, socialization skills and vocal expressiveness is not for everyone. Mylena Vocal Coach has been the advocate of affirming one’s identity through voice for over 30 years because she has always been aware that socialization plays a key role in shaping identity development and vice versa (also discover the “Identity and Voice” Workshops) The impact that socialization skills have on emotional and identity development is decisive and precisely why it influences the way individuals speak and transfer their emotions to others. It is a cycle that can become vicious or virtuous, and the defining factor lies precisely in understanding that just mastering one’s voice is enough to begin to define one’s identity, with it self-esteem and eventually also achieve excellent socialization skills for both friendship and romantic relationships.