Life without dance is a slow death

Life without dance is death.

That may sound a bit over the top, but it’s the truth. Dancing is my go-to coping mechanism. It’s how I’ve learned to deal with and fix my problems in life.

Because of dance, there’s no need for Iyanla to fix anything! I just need decent music and time to werk to change my perspective.

If I’m stressed out; I throw on some gospel or EDM music and dance it out. If I need a confidence booster, I slay with Beyoncé. And for those moments of deep funk, I have a special playlist to lift my mood instantly.

I’ve tried the alternative, which is running to sex, alcohol or even friends to cope with life and it never fully heals anything. At first, these life Band-Aids, as I like to call them, feel hella good. However, once that feeling fades, you are then left with the same problems staring back at you with a devilish grin that says, “I’m still here.”

When your friend captures you doing your “happy my room is clean” dance with your imaginary stripper pole. #roguestyle

A video posted by Danielle D. Washington (@roguestylemaven) on Mar 5, 2016 at 5:57pm PST

Yet,there is something so empowering about dance.

Don’t believe me? Think back to the last time you let the music take over your body and put you into a zone. It didn’t even matter if you had rhythm or not as it was all about how the movements made you feel. That’s the power of dance.

When I am in a dance zone, it feels like I’m channeling every female ancestor to heal my mind, body, and soul. And don’t let there be some drums as that’s when I’m really in a zone.

Sounds crazy? It shouldn’t, as several cultures have been using dance as a form of healing for centuries. Nowadays instead of calling it a tribal ritual, it’s called Dance Movement Therapy, which is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of individuals.

Simply put, scientists now agree with what ancient cultures have known forever. Dance can positively affect your mood if you let it. Thus, the next time one of life’s storms pours down on your day, I encourage you to dance. Better yet, I challenge you to break out in dance!

Cover photo courtesy of: Photosbyrome