With a new dance season approaching, you might be feeling some stress or anxiety alongside all of the excitement. Returning to the studio, your routine, and all of your dance friends is fun, but like school, a new season comes with new challenges and new experiences. Letting even those little stresses build up can begin to affect both your mental and physical health. Let’s work through some common stressors that might affect you this season and how you can relieve them!
Mental Blocks
Sometimes when you approach something new and don’t have immediate success, it can feel entirely impossible. That doubt builds up and with each failure, you feel farther from your goal. This is a mental block. It is something that is entirely in your own head and can stem from fear of getting injured or fear of failure. Mental blocks can make growing tough, but it is something that every dancer struggles with. So, if you come across one, first take a minute and breathe. Ask yourself what you’re afraid of. Unpacking those fears will allow you to adjust accordingly and just go for it!
Fear of not being enough
We all have a voice in our heads that appears to tell us we aren’t doing enough or aren’t doing things right. Left to its own devices, this voice can affect your dancing and become hard to turn off. Next time you hear that voice in your head, remind yourself that it’s not true. Those thoughts are just your fears talking, you are more than capable of accomplishing whatever it is you want to. Give yourself a pep talk!
Time Management
As a dancer, it is common to balance a lot of things such as dance, school, friends, and even other sports. It can get overwhelming trying to fit everything into your schedule while also keeping time for yourself. Try using a planner, to-do lists, or alarms to stay on top of your schedule, but make it a priority not to overbook yourself.
Injuries
Unfortunately, as with any sport injuries can come up and are unavoidable. They can add stress to your day-to-day and cause you to fall behind, lose muscle, and even miss dance! It is best to avoid injury by warming up and cooling down properly and knowing your limits, but if you do get injured, use that time to bond with your team, work on your mindset, and train other parts of your body. You just have to find out how you can make the best use of your time.
Learning new routines
New dance season, new routines. It takes time to learn and memorize new choreography which can be tough. If you feel lost, remember that the time you put in will pay off when your steps are perfectly in sync with the music and your transitions are flawless! And practice doesn’t happen alone. Go over your routine with a teammate or a friend. Doing things together makes it more fun.
