11 Proven Benefits of Dance in Mental Health [Updated]

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Happiness

Aayushi Kapoor April 21st, 2022 · 6min read

11 Benefits of Dance in Mental Health

Do you feel demotivated or empty or do you miss your old self? We totally understand the stress of working under pressure, studying the whole day to improve your grades, or taking care of your family 24*7. But do you know, this high level of stress is not good for your physical and mental health. The key fact is that your mental health is equally as important as physical health.

[Also Read: Benefits of Being Yourself: Take the road of Self-love]

Through this blog, we want to highlight the ways to bring positivity in your life (it’s time to forget “the blues” and embrace the positivity). There are many ways to bring out positivity like meditation, yoga, traveling and listening to music. But have you ever considered dancing?

There are various mental benefits of dance on both physical and psychological aspects. Dance is a great way to exercise and get your mind off from your daily life. Interestingly, there are various forms of dance like aerobics, Zumba, ballet or you can enroll for salsa classes with your partner (also strengthens the relationship with your partner).

11 Mental Benefits Of Dance:

1. Improves Your Mood

When the feet dances along with the beat of the music, the body secretes happy hormones which help to improve your mood. Along with this, dance also helps in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Dance therapy reduces the symptoms and signs of anxiety and depression.

2. Reduce Stiffness And Pain

We all cannot deny the fact that the movement of the body makes our body flexible. Such movements reduce the stiffness of the body. Also, helps to reduce chronic pain or chronic illness.

Dance Style to reduce stiffness and pain: Ballet or Contemporary

[Also Read: How Music Help You Heal]

3. Boost Muscle Strength And Aerobic Power

When the body moves with the beats, it helps in strengthening the muscles and aerobic power of the body. Moreover, aerobic dance refreshes our physical and mental health.

Dance Style to boost muscle strength and aerobic power: Aerobic, freestyle, tap dance, and hip hop

4. Keeps Mind Sharp

Dance therapy sharpens your memory (as you start to remember all the steps) and improves your memory and creativity. Dance is beneficial for kids with autism and other mental illness (ADHD or social anxiety) as it improves the learning power and strengthens the networking system inside the body.

Dance Style to keep mind sharp: Ballroom, hip hop, contemporary

[Also Read: 9 Natural Ways On How To Improve Memory & Increase Brain Power]

5. Improves Breathing Rate

As we adjust our dance steps according to the beats of the music, it helps in reducing the breathing issues. Moreover, dance saves us from various heart-related disorders as it improves the blood circulation of the body.

Dance Style to improve breathing rate: Freestyle, ballet, salsa, Irish dance

[Also Read: Practice Mindfulness Breathing Exercises To Deal With Stress, Anxiety & Anger]

6. Reduces Stress

As mentioned above, dance releases happy hormones that also helps in relieving stress. This alleviates the mood and makes the body optimistic and calm. Moreover, you can also try other ways to relieve stress:

Dance Styles to reduce stress: Aerobic, freestyle, hip hop, contemporary, salsa

[Also Read: How To Relieve Stress And Anxiety?]

7. Social Bonding

Dance therapy helps in the lighting of brain pathways by creating a strong bond with co-dancers and helps in establishing oneness and unity. Dance also helps people with social anxiety, ADHD, OCPD, and other mental health illness to improve bonds with their loved ones, family members, and friends.

Dance Styles to improve social bonding: Salsa and Ballroom

8. Improves Brain Functioning

Dance therapy focuses on emotional expression and body movement which helps in the fades away the depressive symptoms. As mentioned above dance sharpens the memory, in the same way, dance therapy improves the functioning of the brain. It is said that physical and mental health co-related with each other. Henceforth, when our body feels better, it also benefits the functioning of the brain.

Dance Styles to improve brain functioning: Aerobic, freestyle, tap dance, and hip hop

9. Reduces The Chances Of Neurological Disorders

Scientific facts show that dance therapy improves the brain networking and transmission of chemicals that help in the stabilization of mental health. Improved transmission of chemicals reduces the chances of neurological and mental health disorders.

Dance Styles to reduce the chances of disorders: Hip hop, tap dance, and freestyle

10. Reduces Dizziness

Dance keeps you fresh and motivated. Dance movements improve cognitive and cerebral through the process. Dance conditions the body and lessens the chances of dizziness.

Dance Styles to reduce dizziness: Contemporary, aerobic, freestyle

11. Increases Confidence And Self-Esteem

Along with various mental and physical health benefits of dance, dance also helps in increasing self-esteem. It helps people with social anxiety to overcome their fear and anxiety. Other ways to increase self-esteem are:

Try to enjoy the moment!

It might be very difficult for you to make time for dancing from your busy schedules. But, if you really want to enjoy life and shed the past, you must try to dance as a form of exercise and meditation. Try Zumba or Aerobics or any dance style which makes you groove!!!

Key Fact: While dancing, the body releases various mood-improving chemicals. These chemicals help in the improvement of mental health, dance sessions are helpful in reducing depression.

Once you start dancing every day, your concentration will not wander and will remain in the present because at that moment you will be focusing on implementing different dance moves and will start enjoying the moment.

To experience the present, focus on dancing correctly so that you can enjoy the pleasure of a meditative state. If you want to enjoy life at fullest and live in present, start practicing a dance to embrace the positivity and feel the mental benefits of dance in real.

Dance is not all about burning calories every time, it also helps in reducing stress and anxiety. Also, dancing is fun and has various mental benefits. Hope this article activated your inner dancer!!!

If you think dance brings positivity in your life, we are happy to hear from you. Please share your views in the comment section or you can also share your story through the “Share Story” section.

Keep dancing! Stay Positive!