When we are experiencing the inner critic as we sing, we often also suffer physical tension, constricted breath flow and a barrier to accessing curiosity, creativity and expression.

Fear: “…an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”

What hurts in reading this is that I know, from my own experience and from my work with singers over the years - that many of us have had the courage to sing and have been met with pain and threat as a result.

Singing was always a private joy.

Calming my anxious mind by singing myself to sleep at night as a little girl.

Devouring new music alone in my bedroom.Trying to memorize every single lyric to all the songs on one album in a day.

Belting out songs for private living room concerts atop the coffee table.

Singing was always just for me.