I was scrolling on FB and a clip came up where a teacher in Africa (not sure which country - I want to say Nigeria but google is disagreeing with me). Anyway, I noticed the creative teacher was saying he was teaching the school children to dance to improve their confidence and self esteem (and I thought 'how interesting. I'll come and look at that later but then lost it completely and can't find it.)However, while you may remember, a few years back, I had very low self esteem. In the last few years, I've taken dance lessons (all kinds, ballet, hip hop, samba fitness - I'm pretty terrible at them all, but I don't care, because I just have fun with it) and I go to lots of concerts and dance my heart out, not caring how I look or who sees me.
As a by product, I've become more confident. Not a better dancer, by any means, not even looking like I fit in. I just don't care. My focus is on the experience. The endorphins and energy the movement and music brings.
In the dance classes, I need to concentrate on the task at hand, I tune out all the thoughts of what I look like and if I can do it. The internal voice is muted as I try to remember the order of the routine or the tricky steps. At a concert, I'm so focused on the stage that my tunnel vision tunes out those around me, or those beyond the people I'm dancing with.
Augusten Burroughs explains it perfectly in his book This Is How (but get the audio book as he reads it so brilliantly - it's on audible). Basically the short version is that if you focus, truly focus on the task at hand, you stop thinking about what other people are thinking of you (and your ability). You also stop running the internal judgement on what you are doing. You are only focused on the thing you are doing. You are at ease in yourself because you are task conscious, not self conscious.I have noticed on reflection (prompted by the FB clip and wondering if dance did raise your self esteem), that this behaviour, that started with dance, has crept into other activities in life. I suspect as I became more focused on the dancing, I started to enjoy that kind of attention to detail (rewarded with the endorphins and buzzy energy), my subconscious took over. It has been over three years since I wrote about my epiphany and I can definitely say I am no longer that girl. Though I am older, wrinklier, greyer, fatter and just generally all those things I should feel more insecure about.
So imagine if when I was little, I learnt the benefits of dance and really revelled in it? Maybe that teacher is on to something....(There is also argument that you improve confidence with the mastery of a dance step but as I never really master it, I can't really comment - I don't think that's necessary for the benefits).
If anyone knows the clip I'm talking about, can you give me a link as I'd love to see what he had to say. Everyone else, read This is How.
Or just dance.
(The photos are from Sculpture at Scenic World a few years ago, and I loved the simplicity of the idea. The focus changed the scenery completely. It highlighted a different beauty by making us focus on a smaller detail.)
Linking with #TellUsAbout Confidence.
