Soul Joy: Ditch Burnout and Fall in Love with Life

What does your communication style reveal about your inner truth?

• Dr. Julie Merriman • Season 2 • Episode 13

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Your voice matters—but are you using it in a way that truly reflects your authentic self? 

The throat chakra governs how we communicate, express ourselves, and share our truth with the world. When balanced, we speak clearly, feel heard, and honor our inner truth without shame. When blocked, we might swallow our words, speak excessively without listening, or let our truth emerge sideways through passive-aggressive comments.

The way we communicate directly reflects our throat chakra's health. Passive communicators—those who avoid expressing feelings, apologize excessively, or defer to others—typically have underactive throat chakras, often due to conditioning, trauma, or low self-worth. Aggressive communicators express forcefully through interruptions or blame, showing an overactive chakra fueled by anxiety or fear of being ignored. Passive-aggressive patterns reveal an imbalanced chakra—knowing your truth but expressing it indirectly through sarcasm or subtle digs because direct communication feels unsafe.

The goal is assertive communication—speaking truth clearly and respectfully while actively listening—which reflects a balanced throat chakra. This style creates alignment between your inner and outer worlds, allowing your needs to be met authentically.

Healing practices include sound work through chanting or singing, journaling unspoken truths, practicing honest statements daily, and releasing physical tension in the jaw and neck. The powerful three-part voice activation ritual offered in this episode guides you through journaling prompts, mirror affirmations, and sound techniques to strengthen your authentic expression.

Remember that your authentic voice isn't too loud or too quiet—it's exactly as it should be. In a world that often tells us to be silent or shout, the balanced throat chakra invites us to speak from the heart with clarity and compassion. What truth have you been holding back? What would it feel like to express that truth with love?

Speaker 1:

Hey y'all, I'm Dr Julie Merriman and welcome to SoulJoy. This week we're still exploring the throat chakra and today we're taking a deep dive into the power of your voice, more specifically, the throat chakra and how it shapes your communication styles, because this is a very necessary component of holistic, sustainable self-care. All right, hey you, how is it going? I am so glad to get to hang out with y'all for a hot minute. So, as always, I'm going to start with just a little something, something about the house, and then we're going to get in there and talk about some very important stuff having to do with communication styles.

Speaker 1:

But right now, as I am recording, it is farming season here in Texas and that means that my hubby is on that tractor a lot, a lot. I don't see him a lot during farming season and, y'all, when I was in my 20s, I really had a pity party going where I kind of felt like a farm widow. My beloved spent so much time on that tractor or out doing something in the field. Can any of y'all relate? Do I have any farm wives or husbands out there? Now, as I've gracefully aged, I celebrate the time that my husband has on that tractor. He loves it. I think it's an important part of our long-term relationship supporting him, supporting my beloved in what they love. I think that's true of any relationship and, lord knows, he's done that for me as I worked on my PhD and built my career. I love us and I love the life we've built, so I celebrate that it is farm season.

Speaker 1:

So, okay, professional helpers, this podcast is dedicated to preventing and overcoming the occupational hazards of the career. We chose specifically burnout, compassion, fatigue and vicarious trauma. But, as I always say, this podcast is for everyone. If you're not a professional helper, I promise you're going to find some juicy tidbits that will be very relevant for you. Okay, whether you're someone who speaks freely or someone who often swallows their words, this episode is for you. We're going to unpack the spiritual significance of the throat chakra and explore different communication styles and share how to balance and heal this vital energy center. So take a deep breath, find your center and let's begin. So I'm going to start with the basics. Today, we're going to explore one of the most misunderstood and powerful energy centers of our body, and that's the throat chakra, and y'all the last two or three podcasts have been about the throat chakra. It's a pretty good size chapter in my book, soul Joy, so that's why we're parked here again today.

Speaker 1:

The throat chakra is so important. It influences so many things, to include our communication style. Maybe you found yourself holding back your truth I know I talked about that last time for myself. Or maybe you speak but people don't seem to really hear you. Or perhaps you've been told you're too loud, too intense, or that your voice is too loud. This episode is an invitation to reimagine all of that. We're going to dive into what the throat chakra really is, how it connects with psychology and communication styles. We're going to look at signs of imbalance and how to heal, and we're going to end with a powerful practical activity you can do today to awaken your voice. If you're on my email list in, if you're on my email list, you're going to get this activity as a free PDF when I email you this podcast as well. So again, let's take a big, deep breath and exhale. And here we go.

Speaker 1:

The throat chakra is the fifth chakra in the traditional seven chakra system and it's located in the center of your throat and y'all. It governs communication, truth-telling, creativity, listening, authenticity and your self-expression. When this chakra is balanced, you feel so good, and I've talked about this as we've been talking about the chakra but you're gonna speak with very clearly and with intentions to be very clear. You're gonna feel heard and understood. How amazing is that when we feel heard and understood and therapists and counselors and professional helpers out there, you spend your whole day giving your presence to your clients. Often you are not yourself being seen and heard and feeling understood. So this is a great thing to work on for yourself. When you're balanced, you will express your feelings and ideas freely. You're gonna honor your inner truth without shame.

Speaker 1:

But y'all, when it's blocked or out of balance, you might notice difficulty speaking up. Lottie knows that was my case, especially during my crash and burn when I was not practicing holistic, sustainable self-care. But you're going to find difficulty speaking up. You're going to fear judgment or rejection. Maybe you find yourself talking excessively without listening. Perhaps you have a chronic sore throat or tightness in your jaw or neck. Maybe you're lying or withholding your truth, even from yourself.

Speaker 1:

So you see, the throat chakra isn't just about talking. It's about authentic resonance. It asks us is what I say aligned with who I am? Does this sound familiar at all? I mean, if so, for sure, follow through with this episode, but hop back to my other two or three episodes. I've been talking about the throat chakra a lot. If it sounds familiar, y'all don't worry, we'll get to the healing practices soon.

Speaker 1:

But first let's explore how your communication style reflects your throat chakra's health. How crazy is that? You can get a sense of how balanced your throat chakra is in your communication style. I think that's pretty marvelous. So let's talk about how we express ourselves and what that reveals about our throat chakra's health.

Speaker 1:

In communication theory, there are four primary styles. There's passive communication, there's aggressive communication, passive-aggressive and then assertive. Let's explore these through the lens of the throat chakra. Okay, so with passive communication, this is when you avoid expressing your feelings or opinions. You might say yes when you mean no or stay silent to avoid conflict. You might avoid expressing your needs, apologize excessively or defer to others. You may fear rejection or conflict and emotionally this reflects a very underactive throat chakra. Your voice is stifled, literally being suppressed, and often y'all, it's due to conditioning, trauma or low self-worth. So an example here might be saying oh, I'm fine, when you're not Just not being able to express your truth in that moment.

Speaker 1:

Aggressive communication this is where your expression becomes overpowering or even hurtful. You express your needs in a forceful or controlling way. You interrupt, perhaps you yell blame, maybe you belittle others. This often comes from unhealed wounds or a fear of being ignored. And this, my friends, can reflect an overactive throat chakra, excessive and misdirected in energies, often fueled by ego or anxiety. Okay, so, as this might look like shouting to dominate a conversation, just getting louder and louder I know you've been around those folks, maybe you're one of those folks. It often doesn't end well. We're not getting our needs met in this communication style, nor in passive communication style, because really we communicate to get our needs met and neither one of those are going to help you get your needs met. Okay, moving on to passive-aggressive communication.

Speaker 1:

Here resentment is expressed indirectly through sarcasm, avoidance, backhanded compliments, silence or subtle digs. You may not feel safe speaking directly, so expression comes out sideways. This indicates an imbalanced throat chakra. You know your truth, but don't feel empowered to voice it. Truth wants to emerge, y'all, but it's clouded by fear and the ever-present shame. So an example of this might be you say, well, I guess I'll just do it myself again, like always. You know, just a little sideways, slap there Again. This is not a communication style that's going to get your needs met. That's where that resentment comes in.

Speaker 1:

So, in looking at communication theory, we move into assertive communication. Now, y'all this is healthy, aligned expression of the throat chakra. You speak your truth clearly, respectfully and confidently. You also listen with presence. You honor your boundaries. A balanced throat chakra helps you embody assertiveness, naturally. Now, assertiveness reflects, as I said, a balanced throat chakra. You're aligned internally and externally. This is the communication style, y'all, that's going to get your needs met. This is where we want to be at.

Speaker 1:

Now, all of us I mean none of us are going to be assertive 100% of the time or aggressive or any of these four styles 100% of the time, or aggressive or any of these four styles 100% of the time. But the goal is to move to assertive communication. But, depending on the mood, the situation, our mental health, we're going to ebb and flow through these communication styles, flow through these communication styles. But if you are in that assertive communication style, this is what it might sound like. You know, I hear your concern and here's how I feel. You know you're in your adult. As Freud might say you're, you're, you are balanced. So which one feels like home for you.

Speaker 1:

We're going to park here just a hot minute to silently reflect on these questions. How do I typically express myself when I feel hurt, excited or misunderstood? Which of these styles do I use most often in relationships? What patterns do I notice when I'm stressed or afraid? As y'all know especially with your training as professional helpers or those of us who are just living life professional helpers or those of us who are just living life we are not our best when we're hurt or misunderstood, or stressed or afraid or don't feel good. So we're gonna revert back to a kind of primal communication style.

Speaker 1:

Which one of those is it for you? The assertive, passive-aggressive? Is it for you the assertive, passive, aggressive, aggressive or passive? That gives you some pretty good clues as to what's going on with your throat chakra and places you might need to work to heal that throat chakra, because the good news, your throat chakra is always ready to be healed and I'm going to. Here's just a few tools to help you realign. Now, we've talked about this a lot because it's important, but your sound and mantras, the chant, the seed sound, hum, is that speaks to your throat chakra. You can use that. Or, like we talked about last time. You can sing. Even humming can help to activate this chakra.

Speaker 1:

Journaling Write what you're afraid to say out loud. This clears energetic blockages and builds self-trust. Speak your truth gently. Practice the honest, kind statement. Excuse me, practice one, not the but could be the but. Practice at least one honest, kind statement per day, even if it's just. I need a moment to think about that. What you're doing with this is neuroscience. You're starting to build neural pathways that are going to help you open up that throat chakra and practice an assertive communication style.

Speaker 1:

Breathing and body awareness is very important. You can go back to some earlier podcast. I take you through full body scans. I think those are very, very, very powerful. The more that you can be in your body and aware, it's going to help you with tension, especially in the jaw and neck or shoulders, which can help, sadly, mute your voice. Gentle neck stretches and breath work can free up some unstuck energy. But to get there first you have to know what it feels like and those body scans help you feel so that you can go in and start releasing those energies.

Speaker 1:

Real talk is very important, owning your voice and here's the soul, truth. Your voice matters and y'all, your authentic voice that you own equates to you getting closer to soul joy. When you practice. When you practice using your voice, your story, your opinion, your truth yeah, they're not too much, you're not too quiet, you're not too loud. You're exactly who you're meant to be and your expression is sacred.

Speaker 1:

In a world that often tells us to be silent or to shout, the throat chakra invites us to speak from the heart, with clarity and compassion. I invite you to reflect. What truth have you been holding back? What would it feel like to express that truth with love? Remember, a balanced throat chakra isn't just about talking. It's about aligning what you say with who you are. Keep speaking your truth. You are heard, you are seen, you are enough and you tell yourself that every moment of every day, healing the throat chakra is a journey of permission and practice Giving yourself permission to speak and practice and practicing how you speak. So, speaking with soul, because it is soul joy is really a goal.

Speaker 1:

In a noisy world, authentic voices y'all are revolutionary. Speaking your truth chimney crickets people don't do it. Your truth doesn't mean being loud, it means being real, it means letting your inside voice match your outside voice. I'm going Say that again. Think about this and it takes some self-awareness, letting that inside voice match your outside voice. You're comfortable in your skin. You don't have to over explain, shout or apologize for existing. You just have to honor your resonance for existing. You just have to honor your resonance. The throat chakra reminds us your voice is a bridge between your inner world and outer world, and the more aligned that bridge is, the more peace you're going to feel. Remember y'all. Remember your words are a gift. Your voice is sacred and the world needs your sound just as it is.

Speaker 1:

Okay, thank you for joining me on this deep dive into throat chakra. If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love it. If you'd leave me a review or share this with a friend who's learning to speak their truth. Subscribe to my email list and I'm going to send you a weekly email with the weekly podcast and the bonus PDF that I create for you. Just hop on over to my website, juliemerrimanphdcom and just drop down to the footer and sign up and you will be on my list. Okay, so I want you to get grounded again. That was a lot about your throat chakra and a lot of good juicy stuff, but now I have an activity I want you to participate in. So this is called Speak your Truth, a three-part voice activation ritual.

Speaker 1:

So what you're going to need is a quiet place, your journal, a mirror and maybe a candle or a crystal whatever appeals to you. So you want a journal to release your truth and the prompt I have for you, and if you're driving, you can just think it. If you're at home, jot it down or hop on my email list and I'll see you the PDF. But the prompt is what have I been afraid to say out loud? What have I been afraid to say out loud when you write? I want you to just allow yourself to write with no editing, no censoring, no judgment, just truth. Okay, write freely for 10 minutes daily with this prompt. What have I been afraid to say out loud? Then, after you've done that, the next prompt to start your day with what I want to say but haven't is so what have I been afraid to say out loud? And what I want to say but haven't is Just free. Write with those prompts. And if you're afraid about privacy, know that you can burn this, you can tear this up. You do not have to leave this laying around. But it's about release. We're not worried about grammar. We're not worried about if it makes sense. The only person it has to make sense to is you. Okay, so that's your journal release of your truth.

Speaker 1:

Next is your mirror work, and I want you to stand or sit in front of a mirror and place one hand on your throat and say aloud, slowly and clearly my voice matters. Feel it vibrate on your hand. I speak with clarity and kindness. It is safe to express myself. Repeat each one three times, and I want you to notice what emotions come up. And I want you to look into your eyes in the mirror and say a truth out loud.

Speaker 1:

Start simple, I deserve to be heard, could be one. It's your truth. You come up with yours, just giving you options or ideas. My voice is sacred. I'm allowed to take up space. That's a big one for me. I cannot tell you how much of my life I have shrunk back not thinking I deserve space.

Speaker 1:

So that's your mirror work. As you say those truths, you're looking into the mirror. I encourage you to have your hand on your throat chakra as well, very gently, to just feel that vibration. And then sound activation, close your eyes and take a deep breath and begin chanting um, slowly, letting the vibration rise in your throat. I'm not going to do that on the microphone, I don't want to hurt y'all's ears, but I want you to put some volume into this and, as you're doing this, visualize a blue light expanding in your neck and continue for several minutes and then sit in silence to just feel the energy settle, okay, and then breath and body work. You can do gentle neck rolls, as I mentioned earlier. Remember y'all, the jaw is going to tighten up when it's holding unspoken truth, so kind of stretching your mouth is probably a good idea as well, and using a lion's breath to release physical tension is very helpful.

Speaker 1:

And then, finally, a follow-up meditation. And this is just to kind of wrap things up for you what shifted for me in this practice? What does my voice want me to know? Voice want me to know? You do all those things together. Maybe you're looking at 15, 30 minutes to start your morning or end your day or wrap up your lunch, but it's an investment in you. And this follow-up meditation what shifted for me in this practice? What does my voice want me to know? Pretty powerful, okay, all right, that's it for today. Subscribe to my podcast wherever you listen, leave a review and, until next time, take care of you.