INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Progressive muscle relaxation is a meditation technique in which you systematically tense and relax different muscle groups in your body to promote awareness of your body, and an allover state of relaxation. Progressive relaxation can be used day or night for general relaxation, but is especially helpful for promoting sleep at night.  Performing the full progressive relaxation exercise should take between 10 to 15 minutes. Put on your pajamas and ready for bed.  Darken your room, lie down, and adjust your pillows and blankets until you are fully comfortable. Take a few deep breaths, and quiet your mind.  Begin focusing on your body, and tell yourself that it's OK to relax. Begin at the top of your head, and work your way down in the order described. Tense the muscles just enough to feel the tension, not so much that you feel pain.  After five seconds of tension, relax the muscles you are working on.  (Some people find it helpful to think or quietly say the word "relax" for this part.)  After 10 seconds of relaxation, move on to the next muscle group, and repeat the process.  Forehead. Wrinkle your brow or raise your eyebrows up like you are surprised, then relax. Eyes and nose. Close your eyes tightly in a squint, then relax. Mouth, cheeks and jaw. Stretch your mouth open, as in a yawn, or make a wide grimace, then relax. Hands.  Clench your fists, then release them and relax. Wrists and forearms. Hold your hands up like you are pushing an invisible wall and tense, then relax. Upper arms. Flex your biceps, then relax. Shoulders.  Raise your shoulders towards your ears in a shrug, then relax. Back. Arch your back gently, then relax. Stomach. Tighten your stomach muscles like you are "sucking it in," then relax. Hips and glutes. Flex your glutes, then relax. Thighs. Tense your thigh muscles above the knees, then relax. Ankles and feet.  Flex your feet, raising your toes as high as you can, then relax. Toes. Curl your toes as tightly as you can, then relax. Repeat the process of tensing and relaxing 3 to 4 times on any muscles that still feel tight or tense. If you still feel tense, or are not quite asleep, repeat the process once more, beginning at the top of your head, and progressively working back down to your toes.

SUMMARY: Understand progressive muscle relaxation. Get comfortable. Close your eyes and begin to relax. Tense and relax your muscles. Return to any muscles that are still tense. Enjoy the feeling of relaxation, and let yourself drift off to sleep.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: These damping materials expand as they cure, allowing them to push against nearby panels creating a sound deadening joint that absorbs and disperses the vibrating energy. Sprays and foams can be used around doors and engines spaces, but be sure to check the label of your specific spray or foam to verify.

SUMMARY: Fill small spaces using the sprays or foam spray.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Singing in a new place can be a little frightening. To get around this, go to the stage when no one else is around. Take some time to walk around and look out towards where the audience will sit. If you can, ask to test out the sound system or a microphone. You may not be able to practice at the venue, such as if you want to perform at a karaoke bar. You can, however, go to the bar and listen to other people perform. Flex not only your vocal cords, but your body as well. In addition to vocal warm-ups, such as humming notes in your vocal range, do some basic yoga poses. Raise your arms, touch your toes, dance around, and loosen up. Staying active can help you forget your worries while also preparing your body for singing.  Any good stretch can help, but don’t go overboard and hurt yourself. To get out excess energy and adrenaline, do some jumping jacks or air punches.  Always loosen your vocal cords before singing. Try choosing a word like “Re” and singing it up and down your vocal range. An important part of building confidence is mastering your posture while singing. Plant your feet firmly on the ground, standing straight. Lower your shoulders, keeping your head level with your audience. This keeps your airways free, allowing you to project your voice. Even the act of standing in a position like this can cause you to feel a little more confident. In addition, your singing voice improves, leading to even more confidence. Slowly breathe in and breathe out. Let the air go all the way down to the bottom of your lungs. You will need all that air when projecting your voice. You can also do this while singing. Focus on taking a deep breath, then using the air to radiate your voice out from the center of your chest.  Deep breathing is calming. By breathing away any nervousness, you can relax, focus on your voice, and gain confidence. To further calm your nerves and help you focus on your performance, spend a few minutes doing a mindful meditation. You can find guided meditations here: http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations  Singing from your diaphragm also makes your voice stronger and helps you reach higher notes, so deep breathing is an essential technique for newer vocalists to learn. All professional singers make mistakes. They don’t let this stop them, however. They take risks when choosing songs and keep going when they slip up during a performance. Most of the time the audience won’t recognize a mistake and won’t remember it after you’re done singing.  Starting out can be scary, but mistakes are normal and help you grow. Remember that mistakes can’t harm you. What matters is how you react to them. Don’t be afraid to take risks with your performances! Choose challenging songs, go for that tough note, or sing in front of an unfamiliar audience. Get lost in the song, not your audience’s thoughts. You’re not a fortune-teller and their thoughts don’t matter when you’re performing. Nail your song’s lyrics and your singing technique no matter what you think of the audience. If you have to, imagine that the audience is cheering for you.  Focus on the lyrics and meaning of the song. Remember why the song is important to you and why you want to share it with the audience.  Even if music isn’t in a language you understand, it can still move you. Express the music’s sound and energy, since this is what will captivate your audience. You don’t even have to look much at the audience. Instead of looking directly at someone’s face, look at their forehead or look past them towards the back of the room so you don’t get distracted. Many professional singers struggle with stage fright. While you may not be able to eliminate it completely, you can lessen it by using tools like cognitive appraisal. Rather than focusing on what could or did go wrong, think about what could or did go well! You can even channel the boost of adrenaline from fear into your performance.

SUMMARY:
Spend time at the venue before you need to perform. Stretch out your entire body before you need to perform. Stand upright with your shoulders relaxed. Breathe deeply before beginning to sing. Avoid stopping if you make a mistake. Focus on your song instead of the audience. Take steps to lessen stage fright.