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Dance Your Cares Away

© Julie J. Murelle

I cannot do the dishes unless I dance. I put my headset on while my children are nestled all snug in their beds. I crank my favorite music and I dance and do the dishes. Is a ridiculous image coming to mind of a thirty something year old woman dancing and be-bopping around her kitchen whilst soaping up the dishes? That would be correct and it feels good to do it.

There is something very freeing about dancing. When a song speaks to your rhythm, you must move. I think that everyone has at least one song that they cannot sit still for. I personally, and much to the horror of my children, have many.

Dancing is great exercise and you do not have to be a professional to do it. You just feel the music and let your cares fly into the wind.

I have found a really fun site called Nutty Sites (www.nuttysites.com) If you are not a dancer, or do not feel comfortable with your own groove, you can un-stress with numerous dancing animals. There are down-with their-bad-selves dogs, kooky cats, flinging fish and hand-clapping hamsters.

Too silly for you? Okay, I have another suggestion. I found a site called Holistic On-Line (http://www.holisticonline.com/Stress/str... , that not only has good information on how dancing helps to relieve your stress, but also has good information generally about stress relief. This is an excerpt from the link I have for you above: Dance movement therapy will allow sufferers to release their pent-up feelings in a manageable way, and to explore resources through the therapist. Art therapists will give the sufferer the opportunity to share and explore concerns through images. Through musical interactions, a music therapist will engage the sufferer in supportive and understanding relationships, which may help them to make more sense of their stressful situations.

If you feel self conscious about dancing in public, I suggest trying it in the privacy of your own home. Let the music fill your spirit and move your body. It really does feel good and who knows, maybe it will be the answer to help you get rid of that pesky debilitating stress.

Do you remember the movie, "Footloose," Okay, I am going to date myself, (which is okay because I am separated and my kids already know me.), but that movie spoke to many of my generation. For those who are not familiar, it is the tale of a town where dancing has been banned. There is a scene in the movie where Ren, our hero is making a speech in the town hall. And he reads from the bible that to everything there is a time. A time to laugh and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to dance. (This is paraphrased, not the direct quote.)

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