What Benefits Does Dancing Have For Overcoming Mental Health Issues

While most people take dancing lessons for enjoyment and as a form of exercise, dancing is not just about burning calories but it also helps in reducing anxiety, stress and a number of other health conditions. The benefits of dancing for resolving mental health issues are incredible.

 Here are some ways in which dancing can help with mental health issues:

Stress Relief

Dancing is an excellent stress relief mechanism and you can lose yourself in the music and allow the rhythms to take over. It’s a fun way to work off all the stress of the day and you will feel calmer and relaxed after an hour or two of dancing.

Dancing boosts the body's production of endorphins which are hormones that help you feel more pleasure and reduces the amount of a stress hormone in your body called cortisol.

 Attending a dance class is an opportunity for social interaction which is proven to boost mood and decrease feelings of loneliness. Regular dancing can help in improving self-esteem and foster a sense of self-worth.

Promotes Mental Alertness

Dancing focuses on body movement and emotional expression. It helps sharpen memory because when you learn a new dance you have to remember the steps.  Dance improves learning power and strengthens the networking system in the body.

Mental and physical health are intertwined with each other and when your body feels better, it benefits the brain functioning.

At Arthur Murray we recommend a combination of fast energetic dances like Swing and slow controlled dances like Waltz to improve brain functioning in different ways.

Reduces Depression and Anxiety

Dance movements help in reducing anxiety levels and depression. It elevates the levels of endorphins and dopamine which are responsible for feelings of happiness and pleasure.

Dancing promotes a flow state which is a meditative state that allows dancers to immerse themselves in the music, movements and rhythms instead of being stressed and worried.

This experience of flow and focus contributes to creating a greater awareness and mindfulness of one’s mental state.

Develops Mental Muscle

Dancing helps with building not just body muscle but brain muscle as well. Dance routines teach pattern recognition skills.

Building these cognitive skills can contribute to decreased risks of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Research studies reveal that including dance as part of one’s therapeutic routine can help in improving a patient’s quality of life.

Improves Ability to Express Feelings

Dancing is about expression through movement and helps in releasing difficult feelings through the steps and routines which are learned in a dance class.

Dancing extends this expression by bringing the dancer in front of other people. What a dancer may not be able to communicate verbally to others, can often be expressed through dance.

This development of a person’s emotional expression has shown to relate directly to creating a flow state. Dancers who learn to express their emotions through the flow of dance are able to be mindful of how they feel and express themselves purposefully when they communicate verbally.

Reduces the Onset of Dizziness

Dance keeps people feeling motivated and energetic.  

Improving cerebral and cognitive processes through dance, conditions the body and reduces the chances of dizziness.

Recommended dance styles for reducing dizziness are Waltz, Tango and Hustle, as they provide different speeds and bursts of rotation.

Increases Self-Esteem

Dance also helps in increasing confidence and self-esteem.

People who are shy and reserved are often able to overcome their anxiety and fear by learning how to dance.

The better they become through regular practice, the more confident and anxiety-free they become

Keeping a holistic approach in mind, what impacts one area of the brain, expands to all areas of the brain.

The creation of focus and flow leads to a sense of mindfulness which helps combat struggles relating to mental health. Also, with improved confidence and self-esteem people become more calm and assured.

While it takes courage to join a dance class and it may seem like a huge challenge for people who are reserved in nature, the lasting benefits which dancing can have on mental health is worth making the effort.

If you would like to find out more about the benefits dancing can have on mental health issues or just want to try out one of our dance classes, call us on (02) 9550 0735 or click here to contact us.