I am curious – does anyone actually like the sound of their own voice on video? I can see its clearly me speaking, but it sounds like someone else has dubbed over my footage! I swear it doesn’t sound like me in real life… or does it?

Lights, Camera, Action!

Yesterday was my first day out filming footage for my upcoming YouTube debut video. I went back to my roots and explored the Lake District in North West England. I will be sharing some select snaps like the one above on my Instagram page!

For anyone who hasn’t been, I cannot recommend the Lakes highly enough – if you are planning a trip there or already have one booked and want any tips on where to go / what to see etc let me know in the comments below!

As this was a day trip, it meant getting up at 4.30am with locations and clips planned through until 9pm in the evening. Whilst a long day, it was 100% worth it! The weather was perfect, the locations were stunning and the footage actually came out pretty well!

Lights, Camera, Anxiety?

One thing became clear very early on in the day however was how much vlogging was increasing my anxiety levels… or more specifically listening back to my own voice on a recording was increasing my anxiety levels! It sounds so weird, and definitely not what (or at least not what I think) I sound like – so naturally I jumped on to Google to see what on earth was going on;

It’s because when you speak you hear your own voice in two different ways. … The first is through vibrating sound waves hitting your ear drum, the way other people hear your voice. The second way is through vibrations inside your skull set off by your vocal chords.

Greg Foot, BBC

So the reason we sound different is because on a recording we don’t have the vibrations of the skull… but that does mean that the recording is exactly how everyone else hears our voice! So whilst pretty relieved to discover there was science behind it, it didn’t help reduce my anxiety levels!

The long and short of it is, I am just not used to hearing myself talk on recordings. As most people do, I have taken thousands of photos and videos on my mobile phone over the years – but I have rarely heard myself talking on videos. To be honest, I have rarely taken ‘selfies’, never mind recorded videos of myself!

The Comfort Zone

As the day drew on, and once I had gotten over the initial shock of the strange noises coming from my mouth on the videos, I started to settle down and get used to the concept of speaking to the camera. I wouldn’t say I loved it – but I certainly felt comfortable in front of the camera by the end of the day.

It was the guys at Yes Theory who first introduced me to the idea that the greatest moments and deepest connections in life are outside of our comfort zones – and they are 100% correct. By the time I got home at about 11pm last night, I was absolutely wiped out, however I couldn’t sleep – I still had the buzz of excitement and achievement.

That buzz came from doing something new and exciting, it came from pushing past my increased anxiety, from breaking through the awkward and uncomfortable stage. It came from from moving outside of my comfort zone.

I highly recommend sitting down and thinking about the things you would like to do, but your anxiety levels or fears hold you back from. Why don’t you make a pledge this month to give it a go? What’s the worst that could happen…