The conception of psychology as a way to help patients with mental disorders was outdated a long time ago; Today, psychologists work in all areas of human experience, and many of them are outside the realm of mental health (although they relate to it indirectly).
That is why beyond psychotherapy, psychologists offer other types of services for people who, although they do not have to be going through bad times, need support to promote their projects and achieve their most important goals personally and/or professional. An example of this is the way in which we work from psychology applied to dance, an interesting area of intervention in which professional dancers (or people who aspire to be) are helped. Let’s see how it works.
These are small samples of why learning to manage psychological skills will help these professionals optimize their performance, satisfaction and well-being.
1. Enhance self-motivation skills
Knowing how to motivate yourself is key to maintaining an adequate training routine and not give up at the first signs that progress is not what was expected. This includes processes based on introspection, and others that have to do with modifying our environment to motivate us through it.
Developing professionally in dance is impossible if you are not willing to maintain a humble attitude; You have to know how to accept that mistakes are mistakes, and learn from them. That’s why, From psychology it helps to have a complete vision of what is done both the good and the bad, and accept this self-criticism without it draining us too much emotionally.
3. Teaches how to use activation techniques
Knowing how to modulate nervous activation is key in dance ; There are moments of calm and slow movements, other moments of frenzy and apparent chaos, etc. For this reason, in psychology people are instructed in the use of relaxation and activation techniques that have to do with breathing control, muscle exercises, etc.
4. Strengthens the ability to manage stress
People who want to dedicate themselves professionally to dance They frequently face tests such as exams or auditions, but that does not mean that in all cases they “get used” to them and are able to cope with them well. Many times they are not aware of how to manage this challenge, of how to face a situation in which they put part of their future at stake.
In fact, sometimes there is a paradoxical effect: the more these people progress in their professional career, the more vertigo the possibility of failing an exam gives them, since they look back and focus on everything they have had to sacrifice to get there; Therefore, it seems as if over time they are more vulnerable to poor stress management taking over.
Knowing how to pay attention to key parts of the body is necessary to execute choreographies well, but this can be too difficult if a predisposition to be distracted is shown. For this reason, psychologists help manage attention focus.
5. Improves the identification and neutralization of maladaptive thoughts
Knowing how to identify the thoughts that lead to self-sabotage is essential so as not to become discouraged or, worse still, attribute our successes to external factors (while bad results are attributed to ourselves). It is important to quickly detect these problematic ideas and beliefs so that they do not stop us or even lead us to not try to improve.
You may be interested: “What are trap thoughts and how to prevent them?”
6. Helps develop emotional expression skills
Male and female dancers are exhibited in concerts and plays where The ability to express emotions and feelings through your movements is key. And what they have worked on during rehearsals is not simply a technical issue: there is also an artistic element involved, a desire to transmit something that goes beyond the literal.
And it is therefore necessary that they be able to develop Emotional Intelligence skills related to the expression of emotions on stage; It is important to understand the nuances of each feeling, know how to differentiate them from one another, encourage them in oneself at the key moment but without going overboard or losing control, etc.
Related article: “What is Emotional Intelligence?”
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In UPAD Psychology and Coaching We have been working for many years with professional athletes, artists, entrepreneurs and all types of profiles in which training, stress management and discipline are key. We offer our services in person and online by video call.
