Maintaining Your Voice as You Age
Wise & Well Weekly: Advice from our experts, great reads, and your feedback
Welcome back to your weekly dose of wellness, helping you make tomorrow a little better than today — thanks to Wise & Well writers and readers on Medium.
Research finds that people can peg your age pretty accurately just by hearing your voice. Keeping your voice in good shape — as you would your mind and body — can affect how you’re perceived in, say, a job interview over the phone. “And unfortunately, age discrimination is a real thing,” the writer notes. A weak or shaky voice can also affect how you feel about yourself. So as your voice box ages, there are several ways to keep your voice sounding vibrant and strong, including singing, deep breathing exercises, and generally staying physically fit.
Read How to Age-Proof Your Voice, by Annie Foley
YOUR INSIGHTS
Reader comments on recent Wise & Well stories:
“I think this concept of differentiating between self-esteem and self-compassion would go a long long ways to making our society a whole lot healthier.”
— Matt Lukasiewicz, re: America is in a Self-Compassion Crisis by Giana Porpiglia, LMHC
“Embracing imperfection allows us to move forward, prioritize what’s important, and find satisfaction in progress.”
— Alex Rotar, re: When Good Enough is Better Than Perfect by Robert Roy Britt
HEALTHY READING
A selection of this week’s other informative and insightful articles:
Is Your Diet Causing Your Anxiety?
The MIND diet, a way of eating that emphasizes certain healthy foods, has been found to lower anxiety. It’s not clear exactly how, but researchers think it may reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and also improve gut health. Think of it as food as medicine, boosting overall health, according to this professor of biological sciences.
— By Brent R. Stockwell, Ph.D.
Combatting Loneliness Requires a Customized Strategy
A lonely person needs more than a simple tip like “join a group!” to claw out of the hole they’re in. Whether it’s you or someone you love, curbing loneliness is best done by selecting from a suite of strategic options. The writer offers several.
— By Chris Arestides, RN MPH
Your Sense of ‘Self’ is Driving You Crazy
What is the self? And where exactly is your sense of “you?” New research locates the sense of self to a small area of the brain. But there’s a problem: This ancient, mysterious sense of who and what and where you are in time and space seems to be at the root of #anxiety and other destructive feelings. Along comes non-dual meditation, a specific type that can help you manage the negative aspects of self.
— By Eric J. Kort MS MD
Do Stimulants Improve Performance if You Don’t Have ADHD?
Use of stimulants like Adderall for off-label purposes — to improve thinking skills — is widespread. Arguments are strong for their effectiveness, and for their ineffectiveness. So the writer asks: “How can we make sense of these very different assessments of what stimulants can do? Researchers seem to be forgetting the vast variations among individuals in the relationship between stimulation and performance.” Here’s everything you need to know, from a writer/MD/psychiatrist who has prescribed stimulants to a variety of people.
— By John Kruse
Hot Topic: Do You Need Electrolyte Replacements?
If you believe the marketing around sports drinks and energy drinks, you’d think you’re dangerously low in electrolytes, particularly during the record-setting heat of a summer like this one. So I asked a couple experts to sort fact from myth. Bottom line: Unless you are a long-distance runner or have certain illnesses, electrolyte replacement is likely to be the least of your worries on a scorching summer day.
— By Robert Roy Britt
Why Doctors Don’t Listen and How You Can Be Heard
Doctors typically interrupt patients within 11 to 18 seconds. It can be intimidating, flustering, frustrating. So this physician explains what you need to make sure you explain during any doctor visit — regardless of the reason you’re there — and how to make sure you get your points across and your questions answered.
— By Dr. Julian Barkan
RANDOM BIT OF WISDOM
“We should not trust our perceptions too much.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh, in You are Here
If you like what you see, please follow Wise & Well on Medium. Meanwhile, I hope we’ve helped you make tomorrow a little better than today. — Rob