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Be it to celebrate or to convey a message, done solo or in a group, dancing can have a great impact on your mental health.
Besides boosting one’s brain functioning, the mental health and wellness-dedicated platform Verywell Mind explains that dancing has been found to combat depression, foster happiness, and improve relationships among other things.
Although, there are other ways that this fun, physical activity can boost your mental health. Verywell Mind lists the following:
- Keeps the mind sharp
- Reduces loneliness
- Raises pain threshold
- Reduces pain perception
- Involves social skills
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According to the health publication WebMD, dancing can also benefit your mental health through learning and practising it. These actions can also:
Protect your memory: Ageing can make it more difficult to remember certain details. “Learning new things like different moves and styles of dance sharpens your brain’s ability to remember these kinds of details. This can help prevent dementia,” says the publication mentioned above.
Improve your mood and attitude: Your mood can be improved when learning, moving and performing your dance. WebMD shares that this may be why some people take up dance classes.
Improves your self-esteem: “The amount that you respect and value yourself is your self-esteem. Showing yourself that you can learn and master new moves and skills through dance can improve your self-esteem and confidence,” notes WebMD.
Eases anxiety and depression: An effective type of exercise, WebMD states that dance can raise your heart rate and work your muscles. “Exercise can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing certain chemicals in your brain.” Through this exercise, it allows people to escape negative feelings and emotions.
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