Let's face it, 2020 has not had one stress free moment all year long. Actually, therapists and mental health professionals have reported that there has been a significant rise in anxiety and stress during this year causing many of us to be depressed or deal with unnatural feelings. I myself have been dealing with anxiety that I did not know I had until the pandemic and I think  I have figured out why I never noticed this anxiety when I was a child.... because I danced.

Think about it. Whenever someone is dealing with intense stress or anxiety, professionals always suggest doing something physical to releases different neurochemicals in the brain that causes our pain threshold including anxiety to increase meaning we are able to let go of some of the stress. In fact, a recent survey has just proven that 80% of people have reported that dancing actually makes them less stressed and happier.

Now, this makes total sense to me having grown up a competitive dancer for 22 years. You see when you dance whether it is for fun or a sport, your body kind of takes over and your mind can think of nothing else but what you are doing in that moment. Yes, it is a form of exercise but it is so much fun that one does not dread exercising when dancing as one would if they were to say having to run a bunch of miles. In my case, the dancing allowed me an escape from every day life and just focus on me and what my body was doing. Basically, allowing me to be me. This is why I never realized I had generalized anxiety disorder growing up because my mind did not have time to focus on it.

I know we are not all competitive dancers or even remotely good at keeping a beat but that does not matter. You do not have to be good at dancing in order to do it to feel happy. You just have to feel the music and let go in order to have fun. I promise no one is judging you unless you are judging yourself for it.

So next time you feel stressed, put on a little music and add a little shimmy to it and I bet you a smile will be back on your face in no time.

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