Lose Yourself to Dance

Hi! My name is Mollie Aklepi and I'm today's guest writer! I am an LMSW therapist and a graduate from Columbia School of Social Work. Currently, I am a Staff Therapist at Chamin Ajjan Psychotherapy, with special interests in anxiety and depression management, holistic healing, mindfulness, couples therapy, and more. --

Anxiety isn't just a mood issue. Anxiety is present within the body. It has the ability to impact you physically, and therefore we need physical solutions - not just talk therapy.

Excessive anxiety can cause physical issues like increased blood pressure, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, upset stomach, headaches, and even loss of libido.

The first step is noticing the tension in your body. You could have spent the whole day with a clenched jaw or tense shoulders and not realize until you're aching all over. We need to practice checking in during the day so we can take action before physical symptoms set in.

A great way to pull yourself out of your physical anxiety is to dance. I don't mean bop around. I mean put on your favorite dancing song, whether it's Broadway, your favorite oldie, or something a little funkier that helps you loosen up and get down.

The physical movement along with a song that makes you happy—if you truly give yourself over to dance—literally rips you from your anxious state.

I call it a buffer activity. It gives you that time to physically release that anxiety and move forward to continue the day a little bit looser, a little bit more freely, than before.

Here's to your health!