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Make psychological flexibility your friend as you return to dance..

With this years coronavirus lockdown and the subsequent loosening of restrictions coinciding with the school summer holidays, many of our young dancers have had an unprecedented break from their normal routine.

Trying to return to structured activities after a period of time off can bring up feelings of anxiety in normal circumstances – so how can our performers prepare for the new normal?

Here are some words of advice and support from The Dance Psychologist, Dr Lucie Clements, as dancers prepare to head back to studios in the coming days….

“You may feel like you’ve lost your technique. That is ok – you cannot be expected to be at the standard you were. Nobody training in their living room could possibly return with flawless technique.

You may feel like you’ve gained weight, or your body looks nothing like it did six months ago. Many of us have gained weight or lost fitness. You are not alone.

You may feel anxious about the future and if there is a career for you – but that is outside of your control right now. Working hard, investing effort and looking after your psychological and physical health even more than normal in the coming months will give you back a greater sense of control.

All of these feelings are OK to feel. But you can manage them better by recognising those thoughts, accepting they are normal responses and letting them wash away. Its time to go easy on yourself and replace some of those worries with optimism and focus.

Your teachers are the experts, they will support you and adapt to you. I can tell you with total certainty they too will be worried about the same things!

The next few months will be tough, but you made it through the last six. This is an exciting moment to get back in track to your dreams, so take it slow and try to enjoy every moment. Focus on progress over perfection and allow yourself time to get back to where you were . Try to minimise comparing yourself to others, or feeling that someone else is coming back fitter or better. Just focus on YOU!!”

Follow Dr Lucie on Instagram for more resources to help dancers flourish on and off the stage…