Dollars & Sense: 5 Tips For Overcoming Burnout in Dance

Burnout can manifest in any dance genre, and add the pandemic into the mix, it can be very real for line-dancers. Burnout occurs due to a couple of reasons: the politics of line-dancing, the highs and (more specifically) the lows of running a business, or the challenges around obtaining support for one’s work (event, dances, merch, etc.) amongst other things.

In order to recover and avoid future burnout, dancers must learn how to find a healthy balance between these factors. Here are 5 tips on how dancers can better manage and overcome burnout:

Tip #1 - Remember why you are doing this

We all want to make friends ad be appreciated for the hard work we do within line dancing, and sometimes, it can feel like people are extremely critical, especially online. Although social media is seen as a way to promote your group or your self-expression, there’s no denying that there is certainly not only a lot of toxic content online, but also, there are toxic people who mistake confidence as showing-off and those who are quick to judge someone’s form of happiness. In the end, we have to be true to our own reasons for doing what we do. We dance for our own reasons, we post for our own reasons, we create for our own reasons…and for the most part, when we got into line dancing, it was for our own reasons. Keep those reasons in mind and also recognize that no matter what we do, we can’t please everybody.

Tip #2 - Serve the people that support your cause

We have lots of people that want to tell us what to do, when to do it, how to do it, where to do it etc., that have no intention of supporting what you’re doing. It is important that you do not ignore the support you are receiving in the effort of gaining support you are not receiving. Recognizing that whatever it is you’re doing, has support is a great way to avoid losing your focus and getting caught up trying to please folks that are committed to either criticizing or being quiet, but NOT supporting you.

Tip #3 - Believe in what you’re doing

Everyone has their own vision of how to run their class, group, or business. We all do a lot of work to get us where we want to be, and when we need help, we seek out those that can help us. If you are going to fail, fail doing things your own way. Trust what you are doing, trust your research, your planning, your execution, and your delivery. If it doesn’t work, trust that you’ll make the necessary adjustments to improve.

Tip #4 - Remove toxic people from your circle

Dealing with people that are constantly bringing destructive information or criticism are what I would consider toxic. In order to achieve your goals, you need all hands on deck to support what you’re trying to do. Toxic people around you make it difficult to focus on the tasks in front of you. People that aren’t supporting your cause, simply aren’t supporting your cause.

Tip #5 - Take time for yourself

Sometimes the demands that are placed on you are just simply too much.Everyone needs time to recharge their batteries, by either taking a break or having conversations with people that pour positive energy into you…take the time you need to recharge.

If you are feeling the dancer burnout, you are not alone. Fortunately, the sooner you can identify the signs and symptoms of a full-scale burnout, the more effectively you can manage it and get back to your dance-loving self. It is imperative we find ways to avoid burnout for our own mental health and wellness and if we find ourselves burned out, we have to find our way back to doing what we love. Spending time learning how to attend to these needs can ultimately rejuvenate your physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.