The Benefits Of Dancing When Life Gets Tough
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Health and Wellness

The Benefits Of Dancing When Life Gets Tough

Because sometimes, you've got to dance it out.

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The Benefits Of Dancing When Life Gets Tough
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I will never forget watching "Grey's Anatomy" with my mom, and Christina tells Meredith to just "dance it out." From that moment on, dancing away the troubles and worries kind of became a thing in our home. Whether or not music was involved, my mom, sister and I would find ourselves jumping and spinning whenever circumstances called for it.

The other day, I found the actual word for it: tarantism. The dictionary defines it as "a mania characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to dance, especially as prevalent in the 15th to the 17th century, popularly attributed to the bite of a tarantula." Urban Dictionary states that it is "the uncontrollable urge to dance to relieve one's melancholy."

The past two weeks have found me turning up the music — be it Hillsong or Jessie J — and jumping up and down on my bed until I can't anymore. My husband and I are moving this weekend into our first apartment, and we don't even have jobs where we are headed. We know only a handful of people, and all we are sure of is that we are going to study at a mega-church's leadership college. There have been a lot of emotions that needed dancing out. And you know what I learned from all of that cardio?

It works.

Now, did all of my problems vanish? Did everything get packed up? Did everything get paid off? Not even close. But in all of the twirling and spinning and "Bang bang, there goes your heart" at the top of my lungs, I realized that I was taking myself a little less seriously every moment. I was banging my head, not caring how my hair was going to end up. I was doing somersaults on my bed, and it is way too small for that craziness. I was running around the room, shaking stuff that probably doesn't need to be shaken. Every second that I spent dancing made me look at myself in a new light.

We weren't made to take ourselves so seriously, because (contrary to popular belief) the world will not fall apart because of our mistakes and shortcomings. The fact that I don't yet have a job will not make or break me. The fact that I am scared and unsure and nervous about this move isn't going to stop the world from spinning on its axis.

For you, it may be a test or a class you are trying to pass. It may be the girlfriend/boyfriend that just dumped you. There are so many things we all face that make it seem like the sky is falling. But if you take all of it so seriously, you will worry yourself into an early grave. Remember that what Chicken Little thought was the world ending was only an acorn hitting his head. So stop fretting for a few minutes and dance.

Trust me on this one.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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