_edited.png)
Life can be really stressful, whether it be through work, final exams, new changes in your life or just a lot on your plate, it’s understandable why you may feel overwhelmed. Everyday people try to find new ways to reduce stress, and while they might work for them sometimes it might not work for you. So what is the best way to reduce stress? Although there may not be one singular formula to apply for all, the one that has helped thousands of people (myself included) has been through dance. So how does it actually work? Well, here are 5 ways dance can help reduce the stress in your life.
1. Helps you feel at ease with life
With so much going on in your life, it’s easy to understand why you may be on edge with everything, but taking some time in your day or week (even as little as 10 minutes) can really help let you loose from it all. When dancing you don’t have to worry about anything, just connect to the song, let go of the concept of time and have fun. You can make up a dance or just simply let your body loose and flail around (you really don’t need to perfect what you do—trust me on that one!). Once you are all danced out, you will feel a state of peace and happiness, and that my friend is called being content, and when you feel content you appreciate the little things in life again.
2. Let’s you let it all out
When you are stressed often it is a combination of emotions that have been bottled up over time and you feel like you don’t know how to deal with everything at once. Sometimes it is so overwhelming that you have to deal with it sooner than you thought. One way to get all of that bottled up frustration and stress is through dance. Going to dance class once a week or even more can help you get all of that negative energy out of your body and in return will offer you some happiness, relaxation and honestly just a well-deserved break from everything around you. Once you get that tense energy off your shoulders, out of your jaw and off your chest, you will be able to breathe again and feel like you get through it.
3. Unleashes your creativity.
Having a daily routine is great and all, but sometimes being stuck in the same thing over and over can make you feel like you are in a rut and it’s hard to get out. You may feel like you are in a creative block at work or you don’t have the energy to study for that exam or work on that paper—all understandable, but the worst part is trying to get out of that rut. Dance can help you take a break for a little bit to focus on something else so your brain can relax and unwind for a bit. That break may be through dance classes or sometimes an impromptu dance recital at 3am might do the trick (I am guilty of this far too often, so don’t feel alone!) Nonetheless, dance and music may help kick start your creative flow again which will only help you get out of that rut.
4. Helps you focus on other things
As mentioned before, your professional life, work and for all the university kids out there (uni life is rough!) school can be all that you are working on. And with your mind only on one thing you can miss out on other parts of your life. Dance can help you connect with your loved ones when sometimes you feel like you are missing out on other aspects of life. Signing up for a dance class with your family and friends can help you reduce stress and enjoy some time with your loved ones. Without having to work on school or work you can enjoy dancing, having fun and you can share that with your favourite people.
5. The start to a new hobby
With all that is mentioned before, it’s important to note that dance can be a great hobby. A hobby that helps you connect with others, have fun, let loose and relax every once in a while. Having something else in your life that allows you to distract yourself enough to cope with everything is a great way to reduce stress. not only will you be helping your mental health, you will be creating new friendships, memories and some amazing skills to show off at the next party or gathering you attend.
It comes to no surprise that life is overwhelmingly stressful now, with work, school and everything in between sometimes you just need to take some time for yourself and allow yourself to breathe. Dance is a phenomenal way to allow yourself to let go of all that negative and stressful energy in your body and have some fun (you are allowed to do so!) So join a dance class, jam out at 3am to your old favourite songs from high school and just let it all out. it’s understandable that not all forms of stress relief are suitable for everyone, but there is no harm in trying it. At STUArts Dance, we hope that dance can be your form of stress relief. If you are interested in starting your dancing journey be sure to do so with us. To find more information about classes here is a great place to do so.
#dance #danceschool #Brusselsdance #creativemovement #dancehall #dancelover #movement #stepping #hiphop #contemporary #lyrical #ballet #bxldance #artist