May is Mental Health Month

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Moving Along

Movement is resistance

"I’ve twirled, leapt, and tumbled through the world for as long as I can remember. Most early home videos captured me jumping, rolling, and humming. Gleeful in the ways my body stretched and spun. My embodied relationship with the world meant my joy vibrated, and my anxiety was all-consuming. Every day input, such as the seams on my socks or the hairbrush on my scalp, sent me into a painful state of overwhelm. Movement helped me manage unbearably loud and unpredictable days, but it became something I suppressed in my pursuit of appearing “normal.” I grew increasingly detached from my body-mind at the expense of my mental health and physical well-being. In adulthood, I received an autism diagnosis, which motivated me to reclaim how I self-soothed as a child. I am still working through twenty years of shame that constricts how I show up in the world. Playful movement is self-care and survival. It is an act of resistance against systems that try to control how we connect with our bodies. Autism is part of my story, but I encourage folks of all neurotypes to explore movement that lives outside of shame."

Grooving my way to better mental health

Dancing has been an integral part of my life, and it has always been a huge part of my culture. Dancing, for me, helps me to manage my mental health and improve my mood. If I am feeling down, stressed, or if my anxiety “acts up”, I do a 30-60 second dance, which helps me feel better. A few years ago, I discovered Body Groove – videos that use dancing for exercise. From Funk to Salsa to hip hop and other types of dance, the variety is amazing! Here are a few things that dancing and Body Groove have done to help my mental health:

• Videos range from 4 to 40 minutes: Depending on time constraints or my mood, I can pick a video based on how much time I have or depending on my anxiety levels.
• The leader always encourages participants to move according to what you are able to do and what feels good to you. They encourage participants to push themselves without overdoing. This reminds me to push but not overdo!
• I have noticed that my mood and mental health are better after I complete a video, no matter the length. And it’s not just for a few minutes! My mood and mental health are better for at least an hour!
• I tend to do the shorter videos throughout the day. This encourages me to take breaks when I need them, instead of powering through. It also helps me focus on what I am doing.
• I have also noticed overall improvements in my overall health: my blood pressure is down, my muscles aren’t as tight, and so on. All of which helps my mental health because I am not as anxious about my health.
• One of my favorite short videos involves body tapping, which is touching different parts of your body to the beat of the music. I know that I look silly, but that just makes me laugh, which also helps me feel better.

Movement, especially dancing, really does make me feel better.

In motion we endure, we grow in the rebound

"I saw this captivating performance by Yoann Bourgeois, and I thought it was a perfect fit for this theme of movement throughout hardship. The performer is at first sitting down, stationary, but he musters the courage to start moving and climb up the stairs. However, in life, there are often obstacles that put you down and make you fall. Fortunately for us, we have support systems that help us bounce back up, and if we continue to move and use that momentum to get back up every time we fall, we will eventually reach stability."

Intuitive Art

Participating in creative endeavors has many mental health benefits. For me, it is an emotional release, a safe place I can come to when I need to process whatever I’m going through.