2021 Arrives. Now What?
Dear dancers and parents,
For anyone hoping January 1, 2021 would be the polar opposite of all of 2020, what a rude awakening. From fast-rising COVID numbers to the taking of the US Capitol by white supremacists, 2021 has arrived with a bang and all the baggage of 2020. You may feel discouraged and disheartened by this; I know I do. But to resign yourself to despair and inaction isn't the answer. So, how do you summon optimism in the face of such national events? How do you stay focused on your hopes and plans in the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic?
You can start by continuing to do what you've been doing. You keep talking, asking questions, and trying to make sense of the landscape. When it comes to COVID, we're all pretty familiar with what keeps the virus at bay and keeps us safe. It's a matter of staying the course despite the fatigue. With regard to the state of our democracy, it's keeping your eyes open, staying vigilant about your own actions, and standing up for what you believe in. With regard to your state of mind and overall wellbeing, here are two tips that might help:
Stay well-rested.
That may sound generic, but before you scroll past this, please slow down and consider that there are SEVEN types of rest, as defined by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD. Even if you're sleeping well, you might still feel tired in other ways. Check out this abbreviated list to see if your depleted energy may require a different type of rest.
Physical: Resting to relieve the body of physical stress, like muscle tension or pain, headaches, and a lack of sleep. This is the kind of rest I usually implore my dancers to increase.
Mental: Resting to calm your mind, which increases your ability to focus on what's important to you. Mental rest can be achieved through tools like meditation, tapping (EFT), and mindful breathing exercises.
Social: Resting from social interactions for a period of time so you can recognize which relationships are replenishing and which are depleting. It can be hard to take a social break, especially when you're surrounded by your peers (if you've been so lucky!), but it gives you a chance to evaluate which interactions work for you and which don't. You can choose to engage more with people who "fill you up" and to engage less with toxic or depleting people. (If you're not sure how to do this, book a session with me and we'll talk about it; it's a common situation for everyone, but the teenage years in a competitive dance environment make it more complicated.)
Sensory: Resting to diminish sensory input received from devices, aromas, and background noise. This was the most revelatory item on the list for me. Although I am aware of the overwhelmed feeling I get when I listen to too much news and the scattered, must-keep-scrolling impact of constant phone use, I wouldn't have thought "I need to rest my senses." But that is 100% accurate! Even though you may have slept well, you could experience sensory overload at various points in the day which can make you feel totally exhausted. If this is you, you might want to start by reading my newsletter on changing your relationship with your phone as well as think about how to create new boundaries around engaging with the news and social media.
Set your own agenda.
It's still important in 2021 to set your own course. Think about where you want to be (mentally, emotionally, physically, artistically, academically) in 6 month's time and start building a blueprint of what that will look like. Work your way backwards to the halfway point (what habits and goals do you want to have accomplished at 3 month's time?) and then backwards to the next week.
Having concrete tasks to work on that are integrated into your larger vision for your future will keep you focused and motivated, come what may this winter. It can be helpful to define new "prompts" to keep you on track, rather than relying on ever-elusive willpower. If any or all of this sounds too daunting to contemplate, then don't face it alone. I've been helping dancers set up these structures for years; book your Discovery Session here and let's get started.
In closing, while I believe the winds of change are blowing, they aren't blowing hard enough to create a 180-degree turn around any time soon. So it isn't helpful to hold out for that and sit still until it comes. Instead, imagine you are at the beginning of a long, slow transition. Taking care of yourself during this transition will ensure you make it to the other side as a whole, happy, healthy person. Here's to that being the endgame of your 2021!
Be well,
