Mental Health Benefits From Dancing and Creative Arts

Dancing can significantly improve mental health by reducing stress, boosting mood, and providing an outlet for emotional expression, potentially helping to reduce or alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and negative body image.

1.     Mood Boost – Dancing increases endorphins which can elevate mood and may decrease cortisol, the stress hormone.  It can provide a break from day to day stressors and negative thoughts allowing individuals to focus on the present and enjoy the experience.

2.     Emotional Expression – Dancing can serve as a powerful outlet for repressed emotions, allowing individuals to engage in a creative and physical form of self-care. It can be particularly beneficial for people who have trouble expressing themselves verbally.

3.     Improved memory and cognition – Learning choreographed dance moves requires focus and memory stimulating brain activity.  This can improve memory and cognitive function according to a study from the National Institute on Health https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10813489/ 

4.     Increase self-esteem and confidence – Mastering new dance steps can boost self esteem and confidence according to a post from the Central PA Youth Ballet Blog  https://cpyb.org/benefits-of-dancing-on-mental-health/ 

5.     Social Connection – Participation in a dance class can serve as a source of socialization and also provide a sense of purpose and belonging.

Engaging in the arts, social activities and interaction within our communities can help with major challenges, such as ageing and loneliness. It can help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient. Besides these benefits, art engagement also alleviates anxiety, depression and stress. Making art can enable people to take greater responsibility for their own health and well-being, by helping maintain levels of independence and curiosity and improve the quality of life by bringing greater joy. Expressing ourselves through creative and artistic activities can help to relieve stress and anxiety, and lessen shame, anger, and depression after experiencing a traumatic event.

The use of the arts in healthcare settings has been around for some time now.  The field, however, seems to be broadening and artists of all kinds are making an impact in the healthcare industry by sharing a unique skill set that can assist individuals in self-expression and healing from both physical and mental conditions.

The Arts in Healing program at Pathways to Peace, Inc., https://www.pathwaystopeace.info/about-3  offers a unique opportunity for individuals to participate in the creative arts as a means to navigate difficult emotions and challenging life events.  The Arts in Healing program is a newly developed program by the practice owner, Maria Nemec, LCSW, CEDS, and artist ambassador and facilitator, Rachelle Alford. Both are members of the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH) https://thenoah.net/ 

For more information, call or text Pathways to Peace, Inc. at 407-867-1368