Self-Care Corner: Dance It Out!

I'm not a dancer by any means. In fact, for someone with a musical background, I'm pretty uncoordinated when it comes to stepping and twirling to the beat of the music. This may be why it took me so long to discover that dancing is one of my most reliable self care practices. 

When I stripped away the expectations of being “good” at dancing and just paid attention to how it made me feel, I started observing how joyful I was after listening to music I love and moving my body. The moment I started dancing - whether it was to some music I heard out in the world or as I was cooking dinner at home - I immediately felt my mood shift and was smiling ear to ear. 

So about a year ago, I started making this an intentional practice. When I'm feeling overwhelmed or bogged down with to-dos, I put on an upbeat song and dance it out for a few minutes. Sometimes this just involves a lot of jumping around and flailing my arms. Sometimes it involves singing along to a catchy pop song. Usually it involves some really silly dance moves. The sillier the better! This moment of silliness and joy takes me away from the stress, overwhelm, fatigue - whatever was bogging me down. Just a few minutes of dancing helps release the stress and brings me back to myself in a way that allows me to return to the task at hand feeling more grounded. So...even if it feels silly, might I suggest putting on your favorite feel-good tunes and indulging in a 5-minute dance solo dance party?! It may just be the boost of endorphins you're needing, and no matter what I almost guarantee it will put a smile on your face :)