Hello Friends,
Week 6 of No Stress Summer! This week’s challenge was daily dance parties! A little bit of a spoiler alert on my feelings, but… don’t knock this one until you try it. This post delves into the science behind how this challenge can help alleviate stress, shares personal reflections from each day of the challenge, offers my overall thoughts on the experience, provides guidance on whether to try it, and provides tips for success. I hope you enjoy my week 6 round-up and subscribe to stay up-to-date with my No Stress Summer Challenges, available here all summer long!
The Science
A lot of research has been done on how dancing and taking dance breaks can help alleviate stress and anxiety and improve overall well-being.
According to Poosh, “It’s been shown to decrease depression and anxiety while improving quality of life, intrapersonal and cognitive skills”.
Medium reported that dance breaks can help you feel more present throughout your day and increase your quality of life over time.
Day 1: Did I feel like an absolute weirdo jamming out alone in my room? Absolutely, but did I also have fun? Yes! I had to talk myself up to it, but once I got into it, I had a great time!
Day 2: Took some convincing once again to get myself to let loose and dance it out, but I felt so much better after.
Day 3: I had three dance parties today! One in the morning, one in the middle of the day and one before I went to bed. The morning one was a nice way to get into my body and wake up. The middle of the day was a good reset. And the one before bed was a good way to shake the day off and begin to wind down
Day 4: My desire to have a daily dance party hasn’t increased, as it still feels weird at first,. However, I’ve found it easier to convince myself to do it it because I know how much it helps me
Day 5: Dancing my way through life, over here my friends, and I am having a great time.
Day 6: Today was more of a shake it out than a dance it out, but I think that still counts.
Day 7: I had a bit of a rough morning. Let me tell you, the last thing I felt like doing was having a dance party. But I threw on some Hannah Montana, and I made myself, and it almost instantly made me feel better. I felt so much lighter after. It was like a reset for my day, and I was so grateful for it.
Final Thoughts
This has by far been my favourite No Stress Summer Challenge so far! For three reasons: 1. It takes 3 minutes tops and can be completed anytime, anywhere 2. Dance parties are an instant mood booster that helps me regulate my emotions/get into a good headspace. IT IS SO FUN! We as a society do not dance just because, enough, and I think we need to talk about it more. Because, truly, it is so fun and underrated just to let loose and jam out.
Because I am such a perfectionist, deal with so much anxiety and have terrible trust issues, I struggle to let loose, let my guard down and have fun. However, I think this challenge helped me have a breakthrough in this area. Even though I was just alone in my room, this challenge created a time when I just let loose and had fun for a couple of minutes each day, which is a big step for me. It allowed me to do so in a safe and controlled environment, which is a great place to start to learn that it is okay and safe to let loose and have fun again.
In terms of stress relief, I felt lighter, more energized and instantly in a better mood after each dance break I took. These were my results 100% of the time, which has not happened with a No Stress Summer challenge up until this point. It is something you need to be disciplined about, because at first, you won’t want to do it. It was outside of my normal, and thus felt different and weird to do, which are two feelings I usually try to avoid, and you likely do as well. However, I gave myself some tough love and talked myself into it because I knew I would feel better after, and I always did.
So can I give it the No Stress Summer stamp of approval? 100 TIMES YES! It has moved to the top of my list! (I have decided I will do a No Stress Summer Ranking post at the end of summer! So, you have that to look forward to!) Dance party breaks are a fun way to shake off some stress and release tension you may be holding in your body.
My Recommendations
Should you try daily dance parties? I feel as though this should be pretty clear by now, but yes, yes and YES! Find what time of day works best for you, or don’t plan it at all. Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed or upset or find yourself stuck in a thought cycle with no clear way out, throw on your favourite song and dance it out. That is one of the best parts of this No Stress Summer challenge: It can be done anywhere, anytime!
Laura’s Guide to Daily Dance Parties
- Create a playlist that matches your dance party vibe. Make it a mix of your current favs, some throwbacks, and so go to feel-good songs. You can find my playlist here LINK if you want to use that or get some inspo!
- Stay disciplined. Make a promise to yourself to do it at least once a day for a week, and then stay committed. You may not want to do it at first, but you just have to remind yourself how good you feel after. Starting is the hardest part, so make yourself do it even when you don’t feel like it, because I promise it will help.
- It’s okay if it feels weird at first or if you think you look stupid. Who cares? No one is watching, so lean into it and have some fun!
Until next time, my friends!
P.S. I’m proud of you 😉