Dealing with common sicknesses during the winter

Every winter seems like a new battle for me, a singer who needs their voice to literally survive. And thats the reality of it: singers need to pay extra attention to their health. A number of sicknesses you can pick up from other people and things, so heres some precautions to take when going through the common cold/flu season:

• Never touch specific parts of your body after your hands have been exposed to outside objects or people. The specific parts of your body that matter are mainly your mouth, nose and eyes. Its best to either wear gloves when you are out or a mask, because with a mask, you cant touch your mouth or nose.

• Keep hydrated! Yes, tea's and other warm drinks are good, but overall make sure you are drinking a good amount of water. Hydration not only helps keep your vocal folds lubricated, but can also help if you do unfortunately get something.

• Stay positive, and take it easy. It's really easy to get upset about this process, especially if you do come down with a sickness. Just know that your body takes time to heal, and that goes for your inner workings (I hate saying that) as well! Don't get beat up about how you might have contracted it, just learn and move on.

Some things to help with sicknesses like common colds and flu's can be found with some simple research. But caution is needed when obtaining over-the-counter meds. You want to make sure that what you're putting in your body does not inhibit your vocal folds, especially the blood vessels within them. I'll link a great website post I found this season for what singers should and shouldn't look for in over-the-counter remedies. Check out this blog: https://livingavocallife.com/blog/how-to-make-it-through-the-cold-amp-flu-season-when-youre-a-singer Stay safe out there!