Burnout – a very real mental issue for dancers that can get even the best of us. It’s the dread of going to the studio, not feeling motivated in class, wishing you were anywhere else during rehearsal. Even the dancers who are the most passionate about dance feel this way at one time or another.

Why does this happen? Well, there is no set reason why burnout happens, and it’s different for each person. A few possible reasons why you might be feeling impassioned include: going a long period without a day off, lack of sleep, stress, Seasonal Affective Disorder (especially during the winter months), and lack of self-care time.

Life happens and so does burnout. So let’s talk about a few days to cope with burnout so you can happily jump back into the studio.

Spend Time with Friends

Call your friends and make a friend date. You don’t even have to go out; it could be watching a movie at home or drinking tea and catching up. Use this time to talk about your in studio mental struggles, but also make sure to take a break from studio talk and have a good laugh. If your close friend doesn’t live nearby, schedule a Skype date.

If none of your friends are free, take yourself on a me date. Go to your favorite coffee place, buy a drink and/or snack, and read a book. Go to a museum or a movie. Find something that is a “treat yo self” moment.

Friends and family are your support system. Don’t be afraid to use them, especially when you are in a mental place where you need extra support and love. Know who your key support people are and have them on speed dial.

Get Your Feelings Out

Sometimes it just helps to get your feelings out, whether it’s journaling, improving, talking with a friend, or singing at the top of your lungs.

When you write, it could be a free writing ramble, a bullet journal, a poem, or just doodles. The main point of this exercise is just to let the emotions go, instead of keeping them bottled up inside.

If you chose to improv, pick a song or your favorite artist and just dance. It doesn’t have to be in the studio while you’re wearing leotard and tights. You could be in your room dancing in your pajamas to Spice Girls. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as the improv reminds you how good it feels to move.

Create a playlist for when you choose to sing your emotions out. I have a playlist of my favorite songs to belt while I’m driving home after a long day for this exact reason.

Go To Yoga

It’s cross-training, stretching, meditation, and depending on the style- a good sweat. Go to yoga to give yourself time and space to take care of yourself and just breathe. If meditation or a breath focused class would better serve you, take a Hatha class. If you just need to move to clear your mind, consider taking Vinyasa or a heated Power Flow class. No one yoga class with serve your needs each day or week, so be open to trying different styles depending on your current needs.

Make a Meal

Make a meal you would not normally have time to make during a busy week. During the week, we sometimes fall back on recipes that are familiar and easy to make, which can sometime lead to feeling as if you’re in a food rut. Try a new recipe, put yourself outside your usual food choices, and cooking habits. It’s so satisfying spending a free evening creating a recipe that takes upward of an hour. You get a delicious result and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, this is another great idea for a relaxing friend date.  

Read a Book of Watch a Movie

Pick a form of entertainment that will allow you to step into another world for 2-3 hours. Find a story that will lift your spirits, make you laugh, and maybe even cry. I would not recommend watching a tv show, because it is very easy to turn watching one episode into a six hour long binge.

Take an Epsom Salt Bath

Give your body some TLC and do an Epsom salt bath to help relax your muscles. Add some lavender oil for a calming effect.

Go for a Walk or Hike

Living in the city (New York City), I am definitely a creature of habit: I walk to work the same way every day, I take the same subway lines. One my free days, I like to change it up and explore different parts of the city (which is often part of my me dates). I’ve found some great tea and healthy lunch places while exploring. This change of pace feels like a much needed breath of fresh air compared to my usual rush to get where I need to go (fast).

If you live in a more suburban or rural area, enjoy nature and go for a short hike. Another great way to enjoy nature’s beauty is by going to a botanical garden. It can be very relaxing to walk and sit amongst the flowers.

At the end of the day, listen to what your body and mind says it needs. Spend time attending to those needs so you can refuel and rejuvenate yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally.

The post Coping with Burnout in Dance appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Nutcracker, the ballet that brings joy to thousands each holiday season and every other emotion to dancers. Whether you do 45 shows of Nutcracker or two shows, November and December can be stressful months filled with holiday themed performances. It’s easy to get sick of performing or rehearsing Waltz of the Flowers for the 50th time. Here are some tips for fighting Nutcracker burnout.

1. Get Enough Sleep

No matter what your performance or rehearsal schedule, it’s always important to get enough sleep. Sleep allows your muscles to repair, your short-term memory get stored in your long-term memory, and revive your energy levels.

The rate of possible injury goes down when an athlete gets more sleep. Ideally, dancers should be getting around 8-9 hours of sleep each night.  

2. Listen to Other Music

The first thing that always burns me out during Nutcracker is the music. I get very sick of hearing the same score over and over again. It doesn’t help that you hear Nutcracker music on tv, the radio, the mall, literally everywhere from early November through Christmas.

Tune it out as much as possible and listen to other music; it could be your favorite holiday music, hard rock, a different ballet, soundtracks, whatever makes you happy.

3. Pack Healthy Snacks and Meals

You need food to fuel yourself in order to get through shows and rehearsals. Give yourself lots of meal and snack options because you never know what you day will entail. When you go to eat lunch or your snack and you didn’t love what you packed it’s the absolute worst.

You either begrudgingly eat what you packed, or go out in search of something else, which might not be possible depending on your schedule. Pack fruit for a natural sugar based energy, carbohydrates for sustained energy, nuts for protein and healthy fat, and veggies for vital vitamins and minerals.  

4. Do a Holiday Activity

Nutcracker is not the only way to get into the holiday spirit. Choose a nice, relaxing activity that you can do on your day off.

Watch a movie, go shopping, take a walking or driving tour of your town to see all of the holiday decorations, make cookies or healthy snacks with friends. I would not advise ice-skating until you’re done performances, because freak accidents do happen!

5. Go Out to Eat with Friends or Family

It’s easy to get stuck in a food rut no matter what time of year. After a performance, go out to dinner with friends and/or family. It gives you an opportunity to try a new dish, and get new ideas for meals. Being social is a good way to get out of that Nutcracker bubble, especially while spending time with non-dancers.

6. Massage Your Muscles Often

Your body takes a lot of abuse during performances. Many stages are not sprung and because of adrenaline, you might not feel the effects of jumping on a hard stage until later that night or even until performances are over.

Massage your muscles with foam rollers, tennis balls, take Epsom salt baths, and if you can afford it get a professional massage. Compression socks also help alleviate tight calves and ankles.

7. Meditate or go to Yoga

Yoga and meditation are a great way to unwind both your mind and your body. In the cold months hot yoga feels especially great on sore and tight muscles. It’s also great cross training for your day off that works different muscles than the ones you use in rehearsal.

8. Find A Way to Make Each Performance Special

Nutcracker can start to lack luster when you’re doing Snow for the 20th time. Find a way to make each performance special. Give yourself something to focus on each show.

For example, focus on pointing your feet to the max one show, your energy level the next show, and your facial expression on the third show. Remember, at least one person in the audience is experiencing Nutcracker for the first time. Think of making each performance as magical as the first time you saw it.

9. Find New Inspiration

Go for a walk, read a book, watch a documentary (Wendy Whelan’s “Restless Creature” is now on Netflix), and take class from a new teacher. Do anything that will inspire and renew your creativity.

Photo by John-Morgan on Visual hunt / CC BY

Photo by gabrielsaldana on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

The post 9 Tips to Avoid Nutcracker Burnout appeared first on The Whole Dancer.