It is proven that movement is a strong tool used for healing pain, trauma, and even disease. When someone we love dies, we think about the loss constantly. Sometimes we think so much that we forget to feel and become numb. Denying ourselves from feeling traps the pain inside of our bodies.
Dancing is one way to release the pain and also find joy while grieving. While dancing, the use of music, flow, and creativity provides short term relief and distraction from the stress and sadness associated with grief. Taking a class or going out with friends for a night of dancing can release all of those botted-up feelings in a healthy way. If you don’t feel ready for the socialization, play your favorite song in the kitchen, and dance the night away! The goal is to let go, relax, and have fun.
As someone who took dance classes at early age and continued competitively for all of my adolescent years, I can say that the body has a way of saying what words cannot. Diverse music choices and movements can be used to express all of the different emotions and feelings that we have. Dance is a universal language that can tell millions of stories. Use it to tell yours.
Here are some ways that Dancing can help with Grief:
- Exercise: Aerobic exercise elevates levels of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure/reward. It also boosts endorphins, which alleviates stress and depression.
- Music: Most dance classes and events have music to accompany them. Rhythm gives your brain something to focus on. Certain tempos can even induce trance-like states, with studies showing that music therapy provides short-term relief of depression, particularly after loss.
- Flow: Dance is a type of movement meditation. While dancing, you’re distracted from your pain and grief, if only temporarily. This state of consciousness is called flow.
- Creative outlet: You may just have started to go back to work and get into a routine after the death of your loved one. This can create additional feelings of sadness and loneliness. Dancing offers a creative outlet for you to express who you are and what you are feeling.