
Monday, around 5 PM. Beautiful, sunny day. Time to close the laptop and take my mind off of things. Mood’s up and the willingness to go places is strong, but I can’t. We are in quarantine. Since a good mood is something to be celebrated and encouraged, I decided to go to my living room and play the song that has been humming loud in my head for a while and guess what? A few minutes later I’m dancing ‘like nobody’s watching’ - cause, really, nobody’s watching.
These complicated times we are living in created the constant need for escape and relaxation. This is my recipe on how I manage to reduce stress and anxiety: I literally dance it off. The reason behind why dancing makes me happy is very simple even from a scientific perspective - when we dance, our brain releases endorphins, also known as one of the “feel-good” chemicals which make you feel comfort, relaxation, power, fun.
My love for dance was part of me as long as I can remember. My answer to the always asked question “What do you want to be when you grow up” was always that I want to be a dancer. Even if I choose the path of the Solution Architect and I don’t do this as a full-time job, I can call myself a dancer, because anytime I hear some music, I instinctively start to move my body in rhythm.
The beauty of being a part-time dancer is that you surprise people. It happened to me several times. After different parties, colleagues come up to me amazed: “I have problems imagining that the girl from the party, and the girl from the office, are the same person - it’s like you’re transforming yourself and you’re becoming a better you when you dance”. I love that dancing has the power of clearing your mind - there is no room for thoughts when all your senses are involved in the movement; all the neurons inside your brain are focusing on the music and on making the right moves.