Dancer burnout is an extremely valid experience that even the most seasoned dancers encounter in their careers. A high-pressured environment coupled with impossible food and body beliefs sets the stage for a complicated relationship with movement. What begins from a place of joy can sometimes turn overwhelmingly competitive with the added pressure of manipulating one’s body weight, shape, and size.
5 Steps to Joyful Movement for Dancers
Intuitive Eating for dancers focuses on ten principles that help you repair your relationship with food and body. But this non-diet approach, which you can learn more about here, can also help dancers sustain their passion for the art.
The ninth principle of this approach encompasses joyful movement, which involves discovering how to move our bodies in ways that feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally. Similar to a non-diet approach to food, we identify how to incorporate movement (and exercise) in a less prescriptive way. For most dancers, the idea of joyful movement seems like a given. Movement is built into our art and more times than not, a dancer’s entry into this industry springs from a substantial amount of joy and passion. But how can dancers hold on to this joy without feeling overwhelmed by the technical (and naturally competitive) demands?
All dancers deserve to dance for joy, rather than for reasons set forth by dancer diet culture. This article will provide five actionable tips for dancers who feel overwhelming pressures and impending burnout.
#1: Identify Your Relationship Status With Dance
If you’re reading this article, then chances are you’re feeling some degree of burnout. But how can we decipher between burnout and simply having an “off” day? Having struggled with my burnout as a dancer, I vividly remember overwhelming feelings of anxiety and nerves looming around me. The thought of today’s class (let alone tomorrow’s) seemed like a huge mountain to climb. Unlike in the past, it was challenging to feel excited about the very activity I once enjoyed.
Recognize if your relationship with dance is becoming problematic. Consider the following question: When I dance, what comes to mind? Is it the beauty of telling a story through movement? Is there a degree of satisfaction felt once a difficult move is performed? Or, are you dancing to manipulate your body? Oftentimes, disordered eating or obsessive exercise are reasons why a dancer might feel burnt out. Here are a few problematic goals that can reflect a shifting relationship with dance (and not for the better).
- I’m taking classes to burn X amount of calories.
- I have permission to eat foods X, Y, and Z because I took X amount of dance today.
- The more classes I take, the more I will look like X (comparative thought relating to body weight, shape, or size).
#2: Evaluate Your Relationship With Food
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport is a topic I’ve previously covered and one that can play an influential role in a dancer’s risk for burnout. Under-eating, especially in the setting of above-average activity levels, can leave dancers fatigued and injured… both physically and mentally. Dancers need to build a healthy relationship with food; one that provides adequate fuel and alleviates the guilt around eating. Here are a few helpful resources to begin this work:
- How Can Dancers Rebuild Their Relationships With Food?
- How To Stop Feeling Guilt After Eating
- Gentle Nutrition for Dancers
#3: Assess Your Need for Joyful Rest
Time away from the studio is not just hard for a dancer, it can sometimes feel like a privilege. But if disordered thoughts and obsessive tendencies feel especially triggering when in the studio, then it’s a sign that time off is likely needed for your physical, mental, and emotional sustainability.
Even after you take time off, return to this reflection to assess whether or not the time is right for you to return. Remember: taking time off, even if for several years, doesn’t mean that you’re hanging up your shoes for good. Your best time to return to the studio is when you can dance without obsessive thoughts about unsustainable food and body beliefs. Bottom line: second-guessing your return to the studio for reasons of potentially feeling triggered, then consider this a sign that you’re likely, not ready.
If and when you’re ready to re-introduce dance (or another form of movement) into your day, remember that not all movement needs to be at the degree of intensity you’re used to. In this regard, it may feel challenging to reduce your expectations. Make space for this discomfort. If physically feasible, consider activities or forms of movement that feel good and divert your thoughts from food and body, but rather to movement. For some dancers, this activity might not include movement at all, and this is okay. The movement also does not have to equate to prescriptive exercise. Other forms of movement can still offer you mood-enhancing endorphins. Examples include walking, guided meditation, a trip to the grocery store, or playing with your pet.
#4: Broaden Your Perspective
In its simplest form, joyful movement is anything that feels satisfying to you without the notion of “I have to do this because XYZ” Similar to a non-diet approach to food, the aim is to strip away the rules associated with movement. For dancers, this can be nearly impossible given the technical demands of the art.
If you’re not fully committed to shifting your movement goals yet, consider what it is about dance that initially brought you joy. Could it be the sense of community? Or, the intricate skillset and mental energy required? Perhaps there are other activities that you can consider to satisfy these pathways. For example, joining a book club or starting a crafts club with some friends might help to divert your attention in a way that enables you to be more experienced in the studio. Remember: there are no rules with joyful movement.
#5: Seek Professional Support
Regularly check in and assess your relationship with movement and dance. Are you dancing to seek pleasure in the art or are you dancing to manipulate how your body looks? Does a gentler form of movement feel pointless to you? Is your schedule (dance schedule, cross-training schedule, etc.) taking up extreme amounts of time? These prompts can help you to identify potential reasons why you may be feeling burnt out.
I’ve created The Healthy Dancer® platform to educate dancers about building sustainable practices to support their passion for dance and challenging industry standards that can drive some dancers to burnout. Dancers should not feel alone if struggling and can seek support from professional resources like mental health therapists and psychiatrists. Because of the association between disordered eating habits, as a risk factor for Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport, and burnout, dancers are also encouraged to speak with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. This interdisciplinary approach can help in your journey of self-discovery as you navigate both the prevention and treatment of burnout.
