Out of the Frying Pan Into the...Dance Party!
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After the stress of the elections, finally we get to relax...into a terrifying increase of COVID cases across the country and a Thanksgiving far away from friends and family.
No down time to recover, heal, regather our resources. Unless we create it for ourselves. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, movement is an awesome addition to your self-care toolbox. Movement to upbeat music, even better!
To this end, turn off the TV, the phone, the endless apocalyptic news cycle, move the coffee table, and turn on some tunes.
If you think you can’t dance or you don’t have time to bust a move, you’re wrong. Give yourself the length of one song (if that’s all you can manage), play a song with a beat (any beat will do), start moving your body any which way (the goofier the better), and VOILA: you’re dancing! Don’t worry about the rest. Trust me, it will help whatever ails you (even the apocalypse).
Here are some dance music inspirations:
My dad’s fave: Pharrell Williams, Happy
My 4-year-old niece’s favorite: Justin Timberlake, Can’t Stop this Feeling
Also a fun video (and appropriate reminder): Ok Go, This Too Shall Pass
Throw back fave: Dee-Lite, Groove is in the Heart
Dedicated to my grandma: Harry Belafonte, Jump In the Line
And some video inspirations:
Old Movie Stars Dance to Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk
If you tried the one song experiment and it felt good enough that you want a more regular dose of dancing, there’s lots of good stuff online. Here are two that I subscribe to and use on a regular basis:
Body Groove: Super chill and full of body acceptance messages and ways to adapt routines to your body’s needs.
BollyX: The routines are harder to learn but c’mon. It’s Bollywood-style music and dancing! Infectiously joyful!
When stuff gets overwhelming (or stays overwhelming for months on end), sometimes all you can do is follow Tay Tay’s advice: Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, I shake it off, I shake it off!
If you have any favorite dance music or videos, send them to me. We’re in for a long winter and there’s gonna be a whole lot of shaking it off goin’ on at my house.