One Second at a Time: My 21-Day Dance Challenge Ignited My Soul
With Video!
The season of renewal brought with it a dose of existential angst.
Or perhaps that’s my overthinking brain tackling an impending life transition. Either way, as the days grew longer, I was experiencing nagging uncertainties about my life choices.
And so, I resigned to kick self-doubt right in the balls the best way that I know how…
DANCING!
I resolved to dance for 3 weeks straight in April 2023.
I love to dance! Dancehall and Latin styles really move me, but I will dance to any music in any style and am always looking to add to my repertoire of moves.
When I dance, I am connected to my body and spirit.
When I dance, my ego fades away.
When I dance, I am elevated.
When I dance, I channel joy and experience bliss.
I was so excited by this challenge.
**Read to the end for the YouTube compilation of 21 days of dancing!***
Why Dancing?
Dancing is fun! And it’s good for you! Dance positively impacts the microbiome, aids in digestion, and bolsters the mind-body connection. Dance allows us to tune into our bodies for better overall health. Additionally, dance involves bilateral stimulation (BLS), a tool that can be used to process trauma stored in our bodies. The therapeutic potential of embodied movement is being increasingly recognized among helping professionals.
Further Benefits of Dancing (and a bunch of silly names for it)
Dancing is a great way to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health:
- Getting funky can help improve your cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility, and endurance. It can also help you burn calories and maintain a healthy weight.
- Boogying assists in stress reduction and can improve your mood.
- Cutting a rug improves your balance and coordination over time.
- The funky chicken is often a social activity, which can help you meet people and develop friendships.
- Twerking requires you to focus and remember sequences, which can improve cognitive function and memory.
- Grooving releases endorphins, hormones that reduce pain and promote feelings of happiness and relaxation.
- Gettin’ down with your bad self connects your mind and body, which can assist in reducing anxiety. When you focus on your movements and the music, you are firmly rooted in the present moment.
- Jiving is a form of creative self-expression, which can be therapeutic and may release trapped emotions and feelings, including difficult emotions related to trauma.
- Going to Funkytown can improve self-esteem and self-confidence.
- Doing the Hustle can be empowering and provide a sense of control over your body.
- Gettin Jiggy With It is FUN!
Which dance synonym is your favorite? What is your favorite benefit? Did I miss any?
The Challenge
I committed to dancing for 21 days in April. It could be a minute or several hours. Solo or with pals. In the kitchen or at a class. Anything goes… just move and groove to the rhythms at least once a day! Now this is a challenge I can get excited about! And it’s so accessible! You can literally dance anywhere at any time!
The Video
To keep me accountable, inspire others (and make them laugh), I took a short video each day of me dancing. Some days I danced and forgot to take a video, so I had to dance again! Double-dancing whammy! I used an app called 1 Second every day to create a video of me dancing every day for the challenge.
***See the video below!***
The Results
- Connection: Some days I danced solo. But as much as possible, I put in an effort to go out and dance where opportunities arose. On a few occasions, I asked friends to participate in the challenge with me! This created opportunities to connect with people in a new and fun way! Like anyone else, I can be shy about dancing, but having the motivation to dance each day made me bolder about when and where I danced, and with whom! It gave me a reason to connect.
- Laughs: Literally every time I was dancing or videoing, I was laughing. I strive not to take myself or life too seriously. Dancing each day was a great reminder to be silly and have fun!
- New Moves: I am always keen to learn new dance moves. In the 3 week's challenge, my brother requested that I learn to shuffle so I could pass on the knowledge, and I practiced new whacking and afro beats moves.
- Deeper Understanding/Appreciation: For how much dance improves my life. After I danced, I was more content and my energy was elevated for a sustained period of time.
- Inspiration to do it again! And AGAIN!
THE VIDEO
My Challenge To You!
What makes your heart sing? I challenge you to incorporate it into your life for 3 weeks (generally the amount of time it takes to solidify a habit). Make it fun and make it realistic (one minute a day). Dancing every day for 21 days brought me joy and improved my life. Let’s see what forming a new habit can do for you!
Lots of love! ❤️
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