Connecting with Joy through Dance

Lane Rogers, Advanced Clinical Fellow

Physical activity offers countless psychological benefits including stress reduction, improved sleep and concentration, increased capacity for emotional regulation and boosted mood through the release of “feel-good” endorphin hormones. The great news is that even small amounts of daily movements can make a positive impact on your mental health. 

While movement in all forms is supportive of emotional well being, research has highlighted dance as particularly beneficial in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Dancing can be a wonderful outlet for nonverbal emotional expression and can help us harness the power of the mind-body connection to become more connected to yourself and your inner world through physical movement. 

Dance can also help individuals experience and connect to joy and play through movement. Notice how you feel in your body and what comes up for you emotionally when you dance to a song you love. Does it feel good to take up space, move quickly with large movements or simply sway to the music? How does dancing it out feel differently than talking it out for you? Can you offer yourself a nonjudgmental space to be yourself? While dancing alone is a great option, if you have the opportunity to dance in a group setting, there are added benefits of experiencing a sense of belonging and community. Feel free to explore free in-person options for dance in your local community or free virtual options to try alone or with friends.

We are all empowered to choose the type of movement that feels most supportive and aligned for us. Instead of seeing exercise as another task to complete, I encourage you to add dance as a tool in your toolkit for self-expression and emotional regulation.