Raise your arms over your head as you inhale. Keeping your sternum in the same position, lower your arms as you exhale. Another technique is to layer your hands on your lower back, palms outward. Practice the posture of singing with a lifted sternum until it becomes natural.  Singing with good posture will help you sustain high notes. Your sternum should be raised, and your chest should stay in the same position. Sing in front of a mirror to monitor your posture. Avoid letting your ribcage and shoulders collapse as you run out of air; engage your stomach muscles even more at this point. Lift your ribcage and stand up straight to stay in control of your breath. Before you sing, spend a moment flexing and noticing the muscles of your lower abdomen, lumbar spine, and pelvic floor. As you sing, check in again with these muscles, and engage them if they are relaxed. The air flowing through your diaphragm is controlled by these muscles, and engaging them allows you to control the flow of your breath.  Use your lower abdomen, lumbar spine, and pelvic floor muscles whenever a vocal coach tells you to "use your diaphragm." Use this technique rather than that of contracting your abdominal muscles. This will cause uneven pressure and result in injury. When you sing long notes, which are often high notes, you need your tongue to be relaxed. As you sing, check if your tongue is tense. Push your thumb underneath your chin, which is where the bottom of your tongue is rooted. If you feel tension, massage under your chin while continuing to sing.  This will help you practice relaxing your tongue as you hold those long high notes. Note that the tongue is connected to many small muscles in your neck and throat, so keeping it relaxed is essential for holding long notes and releasing air slowly.
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One-sentence summary -- Raise your sternum. Engage the muscles that affect your diaphragm. Check for tongue tension.


In order to understand how your medical conditions may be related to lung inflammation, it is important to educate yourself. There are many helpful resources available on the internet, including Mayo Clinic, The American Lung Association, The American Heart Association, Cancer.gov, and Cancer.org. These resources have information written specifically for the layperson.   Write down your diagnoses or have your healthcare provider write down your diagnoses. Ask your healthcare provider about resources to better understand your medical conditions. Chemotherapy, radiation, and some medications can contribute to lung inflammation. There are other medications available that can help reduce lung inflammation, if you have been diagnosed with this condition. It is important to know what the risks from any medications or treatments are.   Write down, or have your healthcare provider write down, the names of all of your medications and treatments. Ask for resources to read about the specific drugs and treatments you may be receiving. There are a number of medications available that can be used to treat lung inflammation and associated conditions. The type of medication used for treatment depends on your particular diagnosis. For example, if you have pneumonia, you’ll likely be prescribed antibiotics that will help destroy pathogens causing the infection. If you have lung fibrosis, there are fewer drug options to slow the disease, but new therapies are entering the drug market. A list of drugs that can reduce lung inflammation or are used to treat related diseases are shown below.  Beclomethasone dipropionate (inhaled corticosteroid used to treat COPD)   Fluticasione propionate (inhaled corticosteroid used to treat COPD)   Flunisolide (inhaled corticosteroid used to treat COPD)   Budesonide (inhaled corticosteroid used to treat COPD)   Mometasone (inhaled corticosteroid used to treat COPD)   Ciclesonide (inhaled corticosteroid used to treat COPD)   Methylprednisone (oral steroid used to treat COPD)   Prednisolone (oral steroid used to treat COPD)   Prednisone (oral steroid used to treat COPD)   Hydrocortisone (oral steroid used to treat COPD)   Dexamethasone (oral steroid used to treat COPD)   Cromolyn sodium (inhaled nonsteroid used to treat COPD)   Nedocromil sodium (inhaled nonsteroid used to treat COPD)   Amoxicillin (antibiotic used to treat bacterial pneumonia) Benzylpenicillin (antibiotic used to treat bacterial pneumonia) Azithromycin (antibiotic used to treat bacterial pneumonia) Pirfenidone (drug used to slow lung scarring caused by pulmonary fibrosis)   Nintedanib (drug used to slow lung scarring caused by pulmonary fibrosis)   Ceftriaxone (antibiotic used to treat pneumonia and respiratory infections)  Supplemental oxygen (used to ease symptoms in a wide range of lung disorders)
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One-sentence summary -- Educate yourself about your medical conditions. Discuss your current medications with your physician. Inquire about medications available to reduce lung inflammation.


Type the URL address of the web site you want to turn into a shortcut into the text box located at the top of your browser. A “favicon” is always located to the left of your website's URL address. By default, a website's favicon will be a page. If a website is secure, the website's favicon will be a lock. Once your page has loaded, click and hold the left mouse button on this icon. This will create a shortcut with the web page's title as the name. This will save your shortcut to your computer's clipboard and will allow you to paste a new version of this shortcut wherever you need it. You will see a long list of icons. These are the programs that are currently on your computer.  Press the Windows key and “R” at the same time (Win+R). In the new window, type 'shell:programs'. Hit “Enter”. Select “Paste” from the drop down menu. This will install your new shortcut into the Programs folder. Open the Start Menu at the bottom of your screen and select All Apps to see your new shortcut. Dragging and dropping your shortcut to the Start Screen will help it be more visible.  Click and hold your shortcut. Drag it over to the tiled screen and place it wherever you'd like. You'll now be able to see your new shortcut in both the Start Menu and the Start screen.
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One-sentence summary -- Open the web browser of your choice. Click the website's favicon. Drag and drop the favicon from the URL bar to your desktop. Right-click the newly created shortcut and select Copy. Open the Programs folder. Right-click in the opened folder. On the Start Menu, locate the new shortcut. Drag and drop your icon into the Start Screen. Finished!


Think about what interests you, and learn a skill in that field. Adding more skills to your repertoire will boost your confidence and provide more opportunities for career growth. If you haven’t revisited your resume in a while, open it up and give it a refresh. Add any new skills and experiences you have had. Take the time to ensure that it is professional looking. Take a look at  our guide on writing resumes for helpful tips. Take your career in a different direction. Look for opportunities within the company for different positions, and if that fails then look for a new company. If you’re finding that you just can’t advance in your career, then it may be time to go back to school. Getting the next level degree in your field will add to your marketability, and going to school can provide a dramatic scenery change that may inspire you to change paths completely.
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One-sentence summary --
Learn a new skill. Write a new resume. Make a change. Go back to school.