Page 18 - Classical Singer magazine Spring Issue 2020

Singing with Chronic Health Challenges
longer normative, and it can be tricky to recognize the signs when you’re in the thick of it.
I’ve always been a person who struggles with anxiety, and over
the years I have developed a good support system of self-help tools, therapists, and occasional medication to manage it. But a year and a half into my health journey, things started spinning out of control. My emotions were all over the map. None of my coping mechanisms worked. I felt emotionally out of control.
It was right around this time that I started seeing a new therapist. Twenty minutes into our rst session she asked if I’d ever considered an antidepressant. I laughed and told her that was ridiculous. I didn’t feel sad or lethargic—I was a person who had anxiety and my GI disorder was exacerbating everything.
But as I stepped back and looked at the broken pieces of my life at that moment, I realized she had a point. I decided to give it a try and started on a low dose antidepressant.
This was not an easy decision. I felt embarrassed even considering it initially. I thought that if I just had better control over my emotions or if I was stricter with my diet protocol, maybe I wouldn’t be feeling the way
I was. This was, of course, all a false narrative. The antidepressant was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Within weeks I was back to baseline. I really do feel like it gave me my life back. I am so grateful that I had someone in my life who recognized the signs and was able to point me in the right direction.
Give Yourself Time to Grieve
When you are encountered with a chronic health challenge, it is life-
altering and there will be loss. Loss of the lifestyle you used to have, the ease with which you could do your favorite activities, the simplicity of attending social events with no extra considerations. Loss of not having
to micromanage or optimize your schedule to protect your health. And, in my case, loss of the foods I used to enjoy and the ability to nd “safe” foods outside of my home.
It is a major change in quality of life, and you will absolutely mourn the loss of what once was. In my desire to beat this thing, however, I never took the time to process my grief, and this contributed to a lot of the anxiety I was experiencing. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself the time and space to process the loss.
Casentino Voice
Valerie Girard
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18 Classical Singer | Mar/Apr 2020
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July 3 – 13, 2020 | Pratovecchio Sa (AR) Italy
Amidst the natural beauty of the Casenno Valley with its ancient country churches, castles, sanctuaries and panoramic views of the Apennine mountains, join soprano Valerie Girard and vocal coach/conductor James Gray for an intensive vocal course culminang in a fesval concert at the Pieve San Pietro a Romena.
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James Gray
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The perfect place
for your talents to bloom
REDWOODS OperaWorkshop June 18-28, 2020
in Mendocino
Elizabeth Kirkpatrick Vrenios TArtistic Director
he dramatic California coast
is the perfect setting for
this intensive program, open
to just 15 partipants. Focus on scene performance and audition technique as you experience an extraordinary level of personalized instruction from an outstanding faculty. Scholarships available to select students.
Application deadline April 15
redwoodsoperaworkshop.org
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For more informaon:
Sponsored by
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the MusicaInt Scuola di Musica musicaInt.it
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Now in our 9th successful year!
© Giovanni Orru