Jules Finding Joy in Digital Dork Dancing
Hi, my name is Jules and I am #dorkdancing for mental health.
2020 isn’t exactly the year I or anyone else (except the possibility of Bezos, Buffet, and Ballmer) was hoping for.
With another lockdown abruptly upon us here in Danang in Vietnam, I knew that I’d have to do something a little different to sail through this round with the least mental gymnastics required. Reflecting on my thoughts and behaviours last time round, I could see that boredom was a key issue. During that time, boredom bred a sort of gnawing restlessness that nothing seemed to be able to sate. It was a mildly uncomfortable way to spend most days and something I wanted to avoid if at all possible.
With this in mind, I set out to do different things every day to entertain myself - in a fixed landscape that couldn’t be punctuated by simply ‘going somewhere else,’ as is my usual M.O.
One of the first things I circled back to was Dork Dancing.
Getting lost in dance has been beneficial to me significantly over the years. I remember deep in exam week at uni I had to go hit the club for a quick few hours to shake off the stress. When I’ve experienced heartache, dance lifts me up. I’ve planned countless trips all over the world just to experience the best dance environments possible and it’s been some of my best memories. When I dance I’m lost in the feeling. And that’s how I like it. A wonderful escape.
Taking the dancing experience online for me was a no brainer.
I’d been to Dork Dancing once at the beach before, which was a great experience. After a couple of sessions on Zoom, it became something to centre me every day during lockdown. The combination of a bit of exercise, a brief chat with some friendly faces, and getting really into the music is a great way to have a joyful time out from whatever else is happening. If I’m having a bad day with work it can lighten my mood. If I’m already buzzing, then it’s a way to express that feeling through the whole of my body.
I’ve never been one to exercise every day - or have done so reluctantly - but free dancing doesn’t feel like exercise at all, regardless of the amount of sweat I’m pouring afterwards. I hope that once lockdown is over I can continue to do this as a nice little thing for myself every day.
If you’re feeling some type of way then dance is the cure. Oh - and as for lockdown - I’ve been doing well :)
Dork Dancing depends entirely on charitable giving. We hope you may consider supporting. We offer some fun rewards too.