does your voice change when you feel anxious?

blue

Well-known member
I hate the way my voice sounds when im anxious! sometimes I aviod talking to people just because i think it is really noticeable . Its usually made worse because i focus on it alot ......does anyone else feel like that......could just be me:)
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
I start talking reeeaaally fast when I'm nervous, and sometimes I notice that my voice gets higher pitched, too. It's embarrassing :(
 

newbie

Well-known member
i bet you think that your voice sounds higher than usual yeh?
or it sounds kinda distant
either way i don't think our voice really changes, its just our brains
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
Hmm, maybe... but once someone told me that I'd suddenly started talking in a high pitched childlike voice and now I'm self-conscious about it :-/
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
I think it happens to a lot of people though - I've noticed other people doing it a few times and I haven't thought anything bad about them for it. I just try to stop myself doing it by taking a really slow breath before I talk and consciously trying to slow my words down. Sometimes it doesn't work, but mostly it helps a lot!
 

lettypagb

Well-known member
my voice dosent change that much , but , peoples tell me all the time that they cant almost not hear what i say ,
 

dottie

Well-known member
i kind of stutter, repeat words, and use a fake sing-songy patronizing tone- which i absolutely detest but feel i have no control over.
 

Satine

Well-known member
I used to start to talk very quickly and possibly get higher-pitched, but I eventually got the better of it by taking a deep breath and really stretched my ribcage before I spoke to anyone who made me feel uneasy.

What also helped was the fact that that took a couple of seconds to do, so I ended up in the habit of taking a second to think about my reply. It helps to be able to give yourself that time.
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
Haha I hate it when that happens (it happens pretty much whenever I open my mouth), it just aggravates my anxiety even more. I find it really hard to repeat what I'd just said word for word for some reason, I always have to phrase it in another way :S
I think one of the worst thing's I've ever done was listen to a voice recording of myself... well we had to as the teacher played back these presentations we did in history class. Everyone else sounded fine, like their usual selves, but when it got to the part where I had to speak everyone was like "WTF?"- I sounded like a pre-pubescent mouse, I was talking ten to the dozen and it was barely audiable. So that wasn't great, it sort of confirmed to me & the whole class that I've got a stupid voice.
It can help to sip water regulary when in a social situation to get rid of that nasty sudden "croakiness" I sometimes get though.
I hate listening to recordings of my voice - I sound so high pitched and little-girlish! It's weird how voices sound so different outside our heads! But if the whole class were all "WTF?!" about your recording then that proves that it's not how you normally sound, or they wouldn't have even noticed. You were probably just nervous about being recorded, that's all :) I get the croaky thing too, it's horrible when it happens when I'm on the phone ::eek::
 

Jay732NJ

Member
Yes, I usually talk very low when I'm anxious.People are always like what?, huh?Then i get kind of angry because I can't stand repeating myself.It's not their fault, I know its me.
 

-hermit-

Member
I kind of speak in a mono tone sort of mumbling way to any one I don't know. Don't really know how to describe it, probably all in my head but to me it sounds like I'm a retard.
 

mndigi

Well-known member
Mine sometimes becomes lighter and meek, or at least that's how it sounds to me. I am a little conscious about it but mostly I don't care. At one time during a particularly bad phase, I also felt as if I sounded like I was almost going to cry.
 

ripewithdecay

Well-known member
I think when you talk normally and it sounds like that its because youre 'talking from your throat' instead of your gut. Even though it's kinda silly I try to practice talking out loud at home when i'm alone, and just focus on talking slow and deep. It hurts the throat after a while though, I don't know why.
 
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