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The Rhythmic Remedy: Why Movement and Dance are Stress Relievers

From twirling to busting a move, there’s a lot more to dancing than just having fun.

In fact, the incorporation of movement and dance is scientifically supported as a fantastic stress reliever! Here’s why rhythmic physical activity, or “shaking it off” on the dance floor can be your ticket to a stress-free zone.

The Brain’s Happy Dance:

When you dance, your brain does a happy dance too! Engaging in physical activities like dancing releases endorphins, the chemicals in your brain responsible for making you feel good and contributing to a state of enhanced well-being. According to a study published in the *American Journal of Dance Therapy*, dancing can significantly reduce cortisol levels, the notorious stress hormone. So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, why not swap your worries for some salsa steps? Or, keep it simple and put on your favourite tune and dance like no one is watching.

Mindful Movement:

Ever heard of mindful dancing? It’s like meditation in motion. When you move your body or dance, you’re encouraged to be fully present in the moment. By directing attention to movement patterns and somatic sensations, practitioners cultivate a heightened state of present-moment awareness.  This focus on movement and breath can help calm your mind and  reduce stress and anxiety levels.

Emotional Expression:

Dance is an incredible form of self-expression. Whether you’re popping and locking or gracefully gliding across the floor, dancing allows you to release pent-up emotions and express yourself freely. This emotional release can be incredibly cathartic, helping to alleviate stress and tension. Plus, it’s a lot more fun than bottling up your feelings!

Social Connection:

Let’s not forget about the social aspect of dancing. Whether you’re tearing up the dance floor with friends or joining a dance class, dancing is a fantastic way to connect with others. Social support and interconnectedness is essential for combating stress, and what better way to bond than over a shared love of movement?

Physical Benefits:

Last but not least, let’s talk about the physical benefits of dancing. Not only does it get your heart pumping and your blood flowing, but it also helps to release muscle tension built up from stress. Plus, regular dancing can improve flexibility, balance, and overall physical fitness, leaving you feeling strong, energized, and ready to take on the world.

 

So, there you have it, folks – the rhythmic remedy for stress relief!

Next time life throws a curveball your way, just remember to dance it out. Whether through brain chemistry regulation, mindfulness integration, emotive expression, socio-interactive dynamics, or physiological fitness improvement, dance epitomizes a holistic approach to stress management.

 

If you feel like you need support, you can apply for subsidized therapy with Pineapple Support here.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Dealing with Stress and Anxiety: What to Look for and How to Cope

Dealing with stress and anxiety is something that we all go through. Here’s a quick guide to help you understand the signs, and learn some useful coping strategies.

Identifying the Signs:

In our unique industry, stress and anxiety can manifest in various ways. Just like any other artists, content creators have emotional, behavioral, and physical signs that shouldn’t be ignored. Let’s take a closer look at the signals that might resonate with those in the adult content creation realm.

Emotional Signs:

– Feeling irritable
– Overwhelmed
– Anxious, nervous, or worried
– Racing thoughts and difficulty switching off
– Disinterest in usually pleasurable activities
– Feeling lonely and isolated

Behavioral Signs:

– Difficulty in decision-making
– Avoidance behavior
– Nail-biting or skin picking
– Changes in appetite
– Self-medicating with substances
– Restlessness, difficulty concentrating
– Frequent tearfulness

Physical Signs:

– Unusual breathing or hyperventilating
– Panic or anxiety attacks
– Blurred vision, sore eyes
– Changes in libido
– Fatigue or lethargy
– Teeth grinding or jaw clenching
– Headaches or migraines
– Feeling sick, dizzy, or lightheaded

 

Coping Strategies for everyday life:

Now that we’ve identified the signs of stress and anxiety, let’s talk about some tailored coping strategies for adult content creators. These are your reliable allies, always ready to support you whenever life gets challenging.

1. Self-Care:

Start with self-care basics. A nutritious diet, ample sleep, and minimizing substances like smoking and alcohol can be transformative. Incorporate exercise into your routine – it’s not just beneficial for your physical health but also a great stress-reliever. Even a simple walk can clear the mind and boost those feel-good endorphins.

2. Unapologetic Self-Care:

Yes, so important we’ve listed it twice! Take unapologetic breaks for yourself. Whether it’s a long soak in the bath or a cozy duvet day with your favorite shows, prioritize self-indulgence when stress knocks at your door. Even the simplest things can feel therapeutic.

3. Connect with Your Community:

Your support network within the industry is priceless. Whether it’s fellow creators, industry friends, or mentors, don’t hesitate to share your concerns. Connecting with those who understand the unique challenges of the industry can be immensely comforting. Talking about your experiences can make you feel lighter.

4. Creative Expression Release:

Sometimes, you just need a good release. Express your stress through your work or channel it into physical activities like dancing, yoga, or even a fitness class. Use your creativity as a tool for mental liberation.

5. Mindful Breaks:

Pause and breathe. Incorporate mindfulness into your routine to focus on your internal experience rather than external distractions. Being non-judgmental about your feelings can help make sense of challenges.

6. Understanding What’s in Your Control:

Acknowledge what you can and cannot control in your creative journey. Understand your power and the realistic impact you can have on your circumstances. Organize your projects, make lists, and break down hurdles into manageable tasks.

You are one of a kind and your experiences with stress and anxiety are just as unique

In the world of adult content creation, stress and anxiety can be part of the creative process. Use this checklist to regularly assess your mental well-being. Regular self-assessment is the key to maintaining a healthy mental balance. Here’s to identifying, acknowledging, and conquering stress with creativity and resilience!

If you feel like you need support, you can apply for subsidized therapy with Pineapple Support here.

 

Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash

5 Benefits of Therapy

Talk therapy is a safe space for open and honest dialogue between you and your therapist. While the overall goal is to identify and talk about issues causing your distress, therapy goes a bit deeper than that.

For a long time now, therapy has been a consistent guiding light for me. Therapy helped me transition from a life that felt overwhelming and unbearable to one that I enjoy living and thrive in – one where I know that I can overcome my anxiety even on my hardest days.

In working with your therapist to identify stressors in your life and understand their impact, you will also learn strategies and skills to manage your symptoms and move forward. If you’re on the fence about it or aren’t sure exactly why to go or what to say in therapy, I highly recommend giving it a try – or a few.

No matter what, we all could use an unbiased, non-judgmental, and knowledgeable person to talk to at times. So, if you ever feel lost on where to turn to, set up an appointment with a therapist. In doing this, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and the following five benefits of therapy will give you a clearer idea of what I mean.

Therapy helps with anxiety

Therapy is a highly valuable tool that helps treat patients with a wide range of issues and mental health conditions like depression, trauma, and OCD. And if I have not mentioned it straightforwardly enough yet, therapy is also a tool for dealing with the day-to-day challenges we all face as humans – something that anyone can benefit from.

That said, I want to touch on the most common mental health condition out there: anxiety. People who struggle with anxiety do not just experience moderate or high stress in understandable circumstances. Instead, people with anxiety feel unstable, irritable, or uneasy most of the time and for reasons they cannot always explain. This continuous state of fear can cause difficulty managing your emotions as anxiety begins to dictate your behaviors.

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The first way therapy helps people manage their anxiety is by identifying the factors and underlying causes contributing to it. From there, they come to understand their emotions better and reach a place of acceptance before developing techniques to ease anxiety and effectively deal with it.

Therapy can improve your relationships

By this, I do not mean that therapy is a great resource for dealing with social anxiety or recovering from a tough breakup, although it is. But while some therapists specialize in family, relationship, and marriage counselling, any form of therapy can improve your relationships in general.

As you likely already know but may not always apply, better communication is key to better relationships. For this reason, therapists focus on opening the lines of communication between two or more people.

However, even if it is just you attending therapy, your therapist can help you see other perspectives and find balance in the way you communicate with people you care for. For instance, you might have a hard time opening up and being assertive to get what you need from someone; or, it could be the other way around, and you don’t realize the impact your assertiveness has on someone else’s feelings.

While therapists help people cultivate more positive and long-lasting relationships, they can also help you learn how to manage relationships with people you don’t want to keep around. Even accepting that it is okay to let go of relationships that aren’t serving you is a pretty big first step that you can accomplish in therapy.

By learning more skills to gain perspective and communicate, therapy can help you navigate all your current relationships to find greater fulfillment.

Therapy can make you happier

I realize that this a broad statement because, let’s face it, happiness is an ambiguous word. Not only can happiness emotions range from contentment to immense joy, but the things that make us happy vary for all of us, too.

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No matter how you slice it, I think we can all agree that greater levels of self- acceptance and self-compassion make us happier. When you accept who you are, you will be more prone to take care of yourself and engage in healthy behaviors rather than succumb to negative self-talk. And the things you discuss with your therapist will help you find more self- awareness and understanding, which is always the first step before self-acceptance.

In other words, therapy is a great first step to a happier life. It is an opportunity to release your past, talk about your present, and foster more compassion for yourself moving forward.

Therapy can make you more productive

Have you ever noticed how you get more tasks accomplished or focus better when you are in a good mood?

We’ve established that therapy can make you feel happier, and the same chemicals, like serotonin, that your brain receives when you’re happy also signal you to learn more, work harder, and apply yourself.

My intention is not to say that you have to work harder to be happy or that what you are doing now is not good enough. Although, I won’t deny the fact that higher productivity is great for many reasons.

The more you strive for goals and succeed, the more accomplished, capable, and confident you will feel. Not to mention productivity gives your life a sense of direction. All of this can add up to a greater level of happiness, so if you think about it, happiness and productivity make up a positive and perpetual cycle.

Both happiness and productivity combined can help you advance in life, whether professionally or personally, and therapy is a way to identify your mental roadblocks so you can find effective solutions to overcome them. As you can see, therapy is not about directly helping people develop better wellbeing, but a tool that enables you to improve any areas of your life that contribute to your wellbeing.

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Therapy teaches healthy, lifelong coping skills

Last but certainly not least are the healthy coping skills you acquire from therapy. Coping is necessary to respond to all life’s challenges and problems. Sometimes all coping will feel like it is helping you to do is persevere. But if you continue to cope with consistency and efficacy using the tools you learn in therapy, you will ultimately move through and move on.

When your healthy coping mechanisms become habitual and take precedence over your unhealthy ones, you will feel more in control over your life. Keep in mind that nurturing skills and habits and achieving progress takes time, and so does therapy. It is normal if it takes a while to reap any of these benefits of therapy, which is one more reason not to wait any longer to try it.

Writing by Paul Marlow

“Paul Marlow is a mental health advocate who writes mental health help content to inspire others to find daily actions to get better. You can see more at his site for Never Alone

Help Me, I Can’t Shut Off My Mind!!!

You know those thoughts. They creep up on you and attach to your brain like a fishing lure, just hanging out, oblivious to your pain, they could stay forever. You try to make them go away, but then the fishing lure seems to embed itself even deeper in your brain and the pain becomes more intense.

Way back in the day when I was a Junior Baby Social Worker sometimes a therapist would give advice to wear a rubber band on your wrist. When the thought would come and embed itself in your brain you were supposed to stretch that rubber band and let it go around your wrist. SMACK! Sometimes the pain made it go away temporarily, but then it would come back with a vengeance; like Voldemort going after that Potter kid.

What’s an obsessive thinker to do?

Distraction is a good coping skill that can be used in the short term to help get those thoughts out of your head. Eventually you will want to learn more lasting ways to rein in those thoughts. Sometimes a thought is just a thought, but sometimes it’s something that you need to deal with so that it can go away.

Almost 33 Distraction Techniques:

  1. Watch TV or a movie
  2. Listen to music
  3. Sing
  4. Meditate
  5. Laugh
  6. Talk to someone
  7. Work on your gratitude list
  8. Journal
  9. Exercise
  10. Play with a pet
  11. Be mindful
  12. Masturbate (only if you’re in private please)
  13. Create something
  14. Do math
  15. Play Sudoku
  16. Blog
  17. Go to Walmart and take a poll on how many people are eating red beans and rice this week
  18. Go volunteer
  19. Make a list of things you like to do to distract yourself and refer to it
  20. Write a letter
  21. Email a friend
  22. Go blow bubbles
  23. Offer to babysit and play with the kids/animals
  24. Go to a park and swing
  25. Go watch little kids play
  26. Write a story
  27. Knit or do some other crafty thing
  28. Play an instrument if you have one
  29. Balance you checkbook
  30. Give yourself an allotted period of worrying time and refuse to worry unless it’s that time
  31. Give the thought to a worry doll and leave it in another room
  32. Write the thought on a piece of paper and tell yourself that you can’t worry about it until tomorrow

By all means add to this list, take off the things that you wouldn’t do. Take a poll at Walmart and see how other people distract themselves or ask your friends and family.

You’re not the only one in this big world that worries and has obsessive thoughts and worries, but you don’t have to suffer with them. Now go on and try some of these things. Remember what works once may not work as well another time, so try lots of them.

Wishing you laughter, serenity, and a significant decrease in anxiety

Mechele

Monkey Mind?

“My mind won’t shut up.”

“I can’t focus to save my life.”

 

When it feels like your mind is in control of you and you don’t know how to take back control, chances are you have monkey mind. Monkey mind is exactly what it sounds like; imagine your mind is an energetic monkey jumping all over the place inside your head. Monkey mind is closely correlated with anxiety. It is a term that the Buddhists came up with many, many years ago.

You don’t have to be a Buddhist to have monkey mind or to get rid of it.

When we have anxiety our amygdala is overactive and as bulky as Dwayne Johnson. The amygdala is the part of our brain where anxiety and fear live. Once upon a time it helped us to survive by enabling us to fight or run away when faced with mortal danger such as a T-Rex getting ready to chomp us. Now our amygdala responds as if we’re in mortal danger when we’re not. Speaking to a stranger won’t kill us, yet our mind may tell us it will. Few people die if they embarrass themselves in front of others, but some people’s minds disagree.

Sara Lazar is a Neuroscientist at Massachusetts General and Harvard. She has studied the benefits of using meditation and mindfulness. Her study which had people who meditated an average of 30 minutes a day for daily to several times a week for eight weeks found the following[1]:

  • Increased brain volume
  • An increase in the area of the brain that is involved in whether or not the mind wanders.
  • An increase in the area that helps us learn, think, with memory, and helps us regulate our emotions.
  • An increase in the part of the brain associated with empathy and compassion.

So What?

So, there are other studies[2] that document the benefits of meditation and mindfulness on monkey mind. Neither mediation nor mindfulness is easy to do, but you weren’t born walking either. It takes time and it takes patience. When my clients agree to try this I ask them to start at 1-5 minutes and work up to longer times as their concentration improves and their monkey mind gets harnessed.

Are you willing to experiment? The only thing you have to lose is a few minutes a day, but you may also lose your monkey mind and gain the ability to control your own brain and cut down on anxiety. You have to really be committed to this for it to work; don’t just try it a few times and then say you can’t do it.

And Away We Go!

  • Remember, you’re going to start with a small period of time, 1-5 minutes.
  • Set your timer for however long you want to meditate.[3]
  • Darken your room.
  • If you’re not alone let people know you’re meditating and ask them to be quiet.
  • Sit up. If you lie down you will fall asleep. [4]
  • Take some breaths. Some people say through your nose, but I like in through the nose and out through the mouth. Very slow and deep breaths.
  • Focus on your breathing in and out and in and out.
  • Clear your mind.
  • Be gentle with yourself when your mind wanders and bring it back to your breath.
  • Breathe and repeat.

This is a beginner’s guide and as you get better with it your skill will advance. If you decide the experiment is worth continuing you may want to look up videos on You Tube of how to advance your meditation practice or find a teacher to guide you.

I wish you luck and self-kindness, skill will follow.

Wishing you happiness, laughter, serenity, and no more monkey mind

Mechele

 

 

[1] https://scholar.harvard.edu

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/ This is a good article, but it is very dry

[3] You can get a free meditation timer in your Ap store. I like Insight Timer.

[4] People who meditate on a regular basis use a cushion, but if you have back problems try a chair. Sit up straight or you will get so relaxed you will fall asleep. The first time I did this my teacher gently smacked me to wake me up and boy was I embarrassed!