Dancing for Mental Health (Boogie for the Soul)

Hey Forumites! I wanted to start up a lil topic about the amazing power of dance and movement for mental health. Dancing is as old as human beings, we’ve always had music and dance as unique ways of expressing ourselves, connecting to one another, and as part of rituals and spirituality. I truly believe it is an activity that connects us to something higher, to each other, and to our own souls.

Dancing has become a staple part of my self-care, incorporating both movement and creative expression into one. So, I wanted to talk a bit about my journey with it and see what dance means to everyone, and whether we can all think of ways to have more dancing in our lives!

When I was younger (and still incredibly insecure), dancing didn’t really mean much to me. It was just something that some people trained to do with very specific types of dance, or else it was what people did at nightclubs to attract a partner. I used to go clubbing a lot when I first left home and was always so shy and really didn’t know how to move my body. I tried copying others, but never really felt comfortable swinging my hips around or ‘dropping it low’ like I saw others doing.

When I moved to Naarm, I started to attend more festivals with the new friends I had met down here. These new friends were there for the music, the connection, and the atmosphere. I really love electronic music, and let me tell ya, being at a big stage where everyone in the crowd is dancing in unison is a singular experience. The energy is palpable, and everyone there was dancing for something I’d never danced for before – fun.

I began to truly let loose, flinging my arms around with reckless abandon, stomping my feet – heck I probably look like I’m possessed sometimes! But the key was learning to move in ways that felt good, instead of caring how I looked to others. I don’t care if I’m not a good dancer, I just care about how it makes me feel!

Soon, the dance floor became a place where I could literally boogie my troubles away. After a solid session of cutting shapes on a dance floor, I always feel like my soul has been rinsed and wrung out, in a very good way. Nowadays, whenever I feel like I’m getting stuck, bogged down, melancholy, or otherwise overwhelmed by life, I know that a few hours on a dance floor throwing my body around like a fish outta water is an excellent way to shake off the cobwebs and remind myself of the things that make me feel alive.

I also dance at home, alone in my living room. It’s an excellent way to get in a bit of exercise and brings me no small amount of joy. I began to incorporate it into my self-care toolkit as both a way to get some exercise into my day, and a way to move energy through my body and shed anything that feels like it’s bogging me down. I even have a visualisation method I use with my dancing when I am especially keen on dealing with heavy thoughts/feelings: I visualise my stress as energy, and dance in a way that symbolises moving said energy out of my body and into a ball of energy in my hands. Then I throw and spin the ball around my body, sweeping it around and collecting all the ick vibes before hurling it out of me, into the abyss. Give it a try sometime!

SO I wanna know, forums fam:

How often do you dance?

What’s your favourite type of music to dance to?

When was the last time you danced with someone else?

Tagging a few peeps, and do feel free to tag anyone else you think might be interested!

@Shaz51 @Birdofparadise8 @ArraDreaming @creative_writer @Bow@Snowie @tyme @amber22 @fluffylight @outlander