Dance and Your Mental Health

Even though May was designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, an annual effort in May to raise awareness about mental health issues, reduce stigma, and promote understanding and assistance for those affected, mental health remains a subject deserving of our ongoing attention. Reducing the stigma requires more than a month to emphasize its significance. It's a time to encourage open conversations about mental health, educate the public on mental health issues, and advocate for policies that support mental health services.

Mental health conditions are acknowledged and unacknowledged problems that affect a person's thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions. Some of these may include, but are not limited to, the following: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights that mental health is vital throughout all stages of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. Our mental wellness includes our emotional, psychological, and social health. Maintaining mental health and stability is vital, as this element of our development affects our thoughts, feelings, and actions towards ourselves and others.

Did You Know?

Artistic pursuits, such as music, dance, and visual arts, can significantly enhance mental well-being by providing a channel for expressing emotions, reducing stress, and fostering deeper social connections. Various creative activities, such as painting, music, and theater, can help people cope with difficult emotions, trauma, and mental health challenges. Dance, specifically, can alleviate negative feelings, promote mindfulness, boost self-expression, and support overall wellness. Dance lessons for children and adults are seen as a prevalent pursuit that helps develop mindfulness, emotional stability, and self-expression.

Here are several advantages that dance offers for your mental health:

• Produces Uplifting Chemicals - Dancing encourages the production of endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, which are brain chemicals that enhance feelings of joy, pleasure, and alleviate stress.

• Enhances Mood and Lowers Anxiety - The expressive qualities and rhythmic motions of dance can elevate mood, divert attention from negative feelings, and alleviate anxiety.

• Boosts Self-Confidence and Body Image - Dancing enhances body awareness, coordination, and self-assurance favorably.

• Offers Social Engagement - Participating in group classes or dancing with friends enhances social bonds, alleviates loneliness, and boosts interpersonal abilities.

• Enhances Cognitive Abilities - The memory, coordination, and problem-solving skills involved in dancing can improve cognitive abilities and brain wellness.

• Encourages Emotional Control - Dancing can serve as a healing means for conveying and managing feelings, alleviating emotional turmoil, and enhancing emotional control.

• Lowers Depression and Various Mental Health Issues - Research indicates that dancing can serve as a beneficial therapy for depression, anxiety, and various mental health issues.

  
  

Dancing as a Means of Self-Care:

Self-care is crucial for maintaining good mental health and overall wellness. It involves actively meeting your emotional, physical, and social needs. This includes actions such as practicing mindfulness, prioritizing sleep, engaging in physical activity, and fostering healthy relationships. Including dance in a self-care regimen can greatly enhance both mental and physical health. Dancing offers an enjoyable and efficient way to work out, alleviate stress, improve your mood, and develop social skills.

Incorporate Dance into a Self-Care Practice:

• Select Your Preference - Explore various dance styles, ranging from ballet and ecstatic dance to hip-hop, social dance, and tap, to discover what resonates with you.

• Discover Your Beat - Enjoy your favorite tunes and dance freely, or join a class to master a choreography.

• Establish a Routine - Include dance in your routine, whether it’s a daily practice or a weekly session.

• Be courageous, there's no need to hesitate in trying new things. Experiment with various dance styles or dance challenges to maintain enjoyment and interest.

• Your health - Pay attention to your body, rest when necessary, and acknowledge your achievements.

Dance as a Method of Emotional Self-Care:

• Engage with Your Emotions - Utilize dance to convey your emotions, be it through spontaneous movements or organized sequences.

• Cultivate Thankfulness - Recognize and value the physical and emotional advantages of dancing.

• Enhance Self-Assurance - As you dance, you will feel an increase in confidence regarding your physical skills as well as in social interactions.

• Discover a Community - Think about enrolling in a dance class or group to meet others who share your interests and enthusiasm for dance.

Overall, dancing is a fun and accessible way to improve mental health by releasing feel-good hormones, reducing stress, boosting self-esteem, encouraging social connections, and enhancing cognitive and emotional well-being. Dance has existed for thousands of years, and many people take pleasure in expressing themselves and maintaining fitness through imaginative body movement. Up to 10 million Americans have engaged in a class or danced at a studio. Having grown up in a challenging home, I discovered comfort and a way to express myself through dance. My enthusiasm for art and dance has always been a driving force in my life. I possess experience in dance therapy, introductory hip-hop, guided meditation, and tap dancing. I strongly believe that safeguarding the arts is essential, as they will help us move forward, just as they have aided me. Dance for fun at home or with friends!

So let's dance.

Eliminating the Stigma Attached to Mental Illness

Mental health is a crucial component of an individual's life; functioning effectively is difficult without it. Good mental health can enhance your productivity and efficiency at work, in educational settings, and in managing your personal life and relationships. It assists you in adapting to changes in life and coping with challenges, both vital for maintaining quality relationships. The World Health Organization states, “There is no health without mental health.” While not everyone will face a mental illness during their lifetime, all individuals will encounter challenges regarding their mental well-being. Mental health disorders can lead to distress and obstacles in social, work, and family activities due to shifts in emotions, thoughts, or behaviors.

If it's truly significant, why isn't there more conversation surrounding it?

Let’s discuss the negative perceptions associated with mental health issues and how individuals often endure their struggles in silence due to fear of being viewed as weak or insecure, or as someone unable to handle their mental well-being. Why should they have to endure their pain in isolation? It’s unjust to them and to those who care about them. What steps can we take to make them feel more comfortable? How can we break the stigma? To begin, we should refrain from shaming and blaming those who are facing mental health challenges.

You should never criticize or place blame on someone dealing with a mental illness; firstly, you lack the authority to judge, and secondly, you do not influence the onset of such conditions. Mental illness, much like death, shows no favoritism. It does not discriminate by age, gender, location, wealth, social standing, race/ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, background, or any other facet of cultural identity; it can impact anyone.

Could it be an absence of understanding?

Many individuals instinctively link mental illness with being insane, unwell, or reliant on medication. Often, people do not take the initiative to educate themselves or research thoroughly to comprehend mental health disorders and their impact on individuals, nor are they always open to learning how to engage with someone who is experiencing one.

Might it be connected to culture?

I've collaborated with various clients in the child welfare and social care sectors, each with different backgrounds and beliefs. There was a time I spoke with a parent who remarked, "I am too healthy to have a sick child." Regrettably, some people hold such a limited perspective, but I understand how their lack of knowledge influences their view of the situation. Some parents have kids who face mental health issues or developmental challenges, and these children are often ostracized, leaving their needs unaddressed. Even when they recognize that something is not right, some parents opt to ignore the situation instead of pursuing the necessary treatment, assessment, and resources their child may need to cope with their condition. As a result, the child will grow up grappling with their illness, which is likely to deteriorate over time.

Is it the press?

Individuals with mental health conditions are frequently depicted in the media as aggressive, reckless, unpredictable, or delinquent. Is the press casting these people, who seek to be acknowledged, understood, and supported, as individuals to be avoided? Everyone has faced or is currently facing mental health challenges; keep in mind that you don't require a formal diagnosis to connect. So, how can we dismantle the stigma?

Here are some of my recommendations:

• We need to have more discussions about mental health by being more transparent and open to sharing our personal experiences and how we managed to overcome them. Remember that you could assist someone who is facing a similar situation.

  
  

• We should allocate more resources towards mental health services and practitioners due to the lack of psychologists, psychiatrists, and mentors, as well as the long wait times and high costs involved.

  
  

• Gaining knowledge for yourself and others will facilitate conversations that encourage empowerment rather than shame.

  
  

• \Keep in mind the saying "it takes a village"? It requires a community effort to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Wishing you good health this Friday and a wonderful weekend ahead!

Safeguard the children; they are our sole chance for redemption.

Many are concerned about the lack of compassion and peace in our world. Some are striving to promote harmony in a community fractured by hostility, violence, and despair. Others fail to see that the answers are already within our reach. In my view, children are the most impacted by our circumstances. They represent our future, but without protection, that future may not exist. Each child is unique and invaluable, offering something to the world that no one else can provide. We need to understand that each of us is a piece in what I refer to as the puzzle of life. A puzzle cannot be completed until all its pieces are assembled. If we consider ourselves as these pieces, it means that we all play a role in creating the final picture, which symbolizes unity. We are currently in an era marked by a lack of unity and peace, a world filled with bitterness, rage, and a shortage of empathy, one would hope for peace to flourish.

Despite reaching the year 2025, many individuals are still coping with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, both during and after its peak. As Americans work towards recovery and rebuilding their lives, they are faced with additional economic changes that will similarly impact them in the long term. These changes consist of the dismantling of the Department of Education, reductions in federal funding, and a significant surge in the cost of living. By dismantling these programs, they are reducing financial support for initiatives that support, educate, and protect our most vulnerable and underrepresented students, resulting in heightened fear and anxiety for many families, as well as significant unrest in communities. The Department of Education is crucial in enforcing federal regulations that prohibit discrimination and ensuring that all students have access to an education that allows them to reach their highest potential.

Children who do not eat three meals a day and look forward to going to school to do so are no longer able to do so. Children from broken homes who want to go to school are unable to do so because they are forced to stay in an abusive environment and take lessons online. School children are terrified for their safety after a fellow student chooses to carry a firearm to school and shoot it up. Some kids are buying guns and carrying them to school and other places because they don't feel safe traveling without one. Due to a troubling rise in gun-related violence, innocent children are losing their lives to random gunfire. Concern has been expressed by experts, parents, and service providers, yet I'm curious about their intended actions. In my view, community leaders and government officials must enhance their strategies, as they repeatedly assure us of their support and protection, but their actions so far have not reflected that commitment.

Many of our young people have fallen prey to the misdeeds of others, dealing with struggles around mental health, self-esteem, food shortages, and various other unimaginable problems that have intensified in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Child advocates Frank A. Maffei and Cathleen Palm discovered that child abuse results in more fatalities than the COVID-19 virus. Their analysis of pediatric data related to COVID-19 indicates that the pandemic has had a profoundly negative impact on children. "When a child passes away, the potential that child's life held is now gone, and society suffers as a result," state Maffei and Palm. The frequency of adolescent suicide attempts resulting in emergency room visits has risen, and feelings of isolation and alienation are exacerbating the issues that children and teenagers face. Even though many organizations are working to provide access to their programs for our children, it remains insufficient.

Together, we must safeguard the children, as many are unable to fully experience and enjoy life. Their innocent spirits, along with other at-risk groups, are facing a struggle. The initial action is to raise greater awareness about these concerns.