It’s February and we all know what that means! Love is in the air~
As important as it is to express your appreciation for your loved ones, we often neglect one person that deserves the same amount of love — ourselves! To celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, here are some ways to incorporate dance into your self-care routine in 6 different wellness categories.
Physical Self-Care: Get your body moving and dance your stress away.
Being sedentary has become way too easy, especially through this pandemic. Whether it's an in-studio dance class or a mini freestyle/improv session in your bedroom, dancing is a great way to keep your heart-rate up and your body moving. Make sure to incorporate a warm-up and stretching routine to prevent any injuries!
Physical self-care also includes reflecting on your diet, hydration levels and sleep habits; as you dance, take note of how your physical body feels and adjust accordingly!
Mental Self-Care: Try something out of your comfort zone!
Mental self-care is about stimulating your mind and keeping your brain in tip-top shape. One way you can use dance to exercise your mental muscles is to try a dance style out of your comfort zone! For example, you can try choreographing to a genre you have never tried before, or taking that tap class you’ve always wanted to try; regardless of what you choose, pushing yourself to try something new can help take your brain off auto-pilot mode and keep your mind stimulated.
Social Self-Care: Get your friends involved (safely)!
Social self-care is about nurturing the relationships in your life, so why not share something you love with the people you love? Some options are taking classes together over Discord, sending inspiring dance clips in a message, or even just checking up on your friends you’ve met through your dance journey and seeing what they’re up to!
Social self-care also involves setting whatever necessary social boundaries you need in order to feel your best. Although it’s important to stay connected, it’s also equally as important to take whatever alone time is necessary for you to organize your thoughts and recharge. Don’t feel guilty for turning down invites to social activities every now and then! (*note: we are still in a pandemic so please make sure your social activities are adhering to the health guidelines!)
Practical Self-Care: Consider how your everyday lifestyle habits affect your dance activities.
Often times, we look at self-care as a concept involving complete indulgence, but a large component of self-care involves taking responsibility for yourself and your habits. Practical self-care is about reflecting on your habits and cleaning up the aspects of your life that might not be as fun, such as your finances or your work-life balance.
In terms of dance, this can include budgeting your team/drop-in class fees and beating your TikTok scrolling habit to make time to finish your tasks before your 6pm dance practice. Consider how you can adjust your lifestyle to accommodate for your responsibilities, needs and interests more efficiently!
Emotional Self-Care: Reflect on how dance makes you feel about yourself.
What kind of self-talk do you engage in when you dance? Do you beat yourself up when you can’t pick up the choreography fast enough? How do you feel when you watch yourself in the mirror?
Emotional self-care involves acknowledging and managing the wide spectrum of feelings that come with life. Although being a dancer puts you on a beautiful journey of growth and learning, it is very easy to fall into a hole of comparison and self-hatred. The next time you find yourself criticizing your worth as a dancer, consider how you would support a friend in the same position and apply it to yourself. Would you tell your friend that they should quit dancing if they struggle in one class? Of course not! Be as supportive of yourself as you are to your friends, keep affirming your little wins and enjoy the learning experience.
Spiritual Self-Care: Try dancing as a means of feeling more connected to your inner soul.
Spiritual self-care is about deepening the connection to our soul and finding purpose in our lives. Spirituality can mean different things for different people, but regardless of your religious affiliation, it is important to nurture whatever brings meaning into your life. For some, spiritual self-care might be meditation; for others it might be time in nature.
In terms of dance, spiritual self-care can be anything from body mindfulness as you move to taking up a teaching opportunity to share your knowledge and passion for dance. Finding actions involving dance that help you develop a deeper appreciation for life can spark the fire within you again and help get you out of a rut.
And those are our self-care tips! We wish everyone a happy and healthy Valentine’s Day full of warmth and love and hope to dance with you all soon!