A Secret to Managing Stress and Burnout: When was the last time you moved your body with joy?

Employee burnout is a global concern. In a recent survey of over 1000 respondents by Deloitte , 77% say they have experienced burnout at their current job and 91% say that unmanageable stress or frustration impacts the quality of their work.? Many of us are also feeling the weight of current events: the pandemic, war, polarization, division, violence, fight for equality, etc.? If not cared for, all this can add up to heightened stress and anxiety levels, potentially leading to negatively impacting our health.

So, how do we care for our mental health so we can perform optimally and don’t get burnt out?? How do we care for ourselves in this unstable world?

Question, when was the last time you moved your body with joy?

If you can’t remember, you aren’t alone.? I recently posted a poll on LinkedIn, asking: “Have you moved your body with joy during the last week?”? 1 in 3 respondents publicly answered “No” or “Not Sure”.??

There are many articles out there about how to prevent and manage stress and burnout.? Ultimately you’ve got to find what works for you, so definitely go out, explore, and experiment.? There are circumstances at your workplace that you cannot control, or rather organizations should continue to cultivate healthy work environments.

I’m going to draw attention to one life-changing transformative secret for managing stress and mental health that is not talked about enough - and something you can take action on:?

Moving your body with intention and joy.

One thing I know as a life-long movement artist is that sometimes we work inside-out and sometimes we work outside-in.? What does that mean?

For example, if I want to express anger with my body, I can think about something that makes me angry and use my body as a vehicle to express that anger (inside-out) or I can move my body in an angry way and allow anger to generate inside me (outside-in).? Sometimes, it circulates and goes back and forth: inside-out, outside-in, inside-out…

In the same vein, scientific studies show how you pose can change how you feel.?So if you are feeling down or unmotivated…. Strike a power pose.?You’ll feel more confident and powerful.? Here's a short video from me and my dancers at Infinite Flow Dance :

So, move your body with joy, and bring joy to your inner universe.?

?For those who need further scientific evidence, here are some related references:

• A UCLA study showed that freeform unchoreographed dancing helped 96% of participants with anxiety or depression cope with their condition.??
• June 2021, the John W. Brick Foundation released their Move Your Mental Health Report , which provides a scoping review of over 1,000 studies on any variety of physical activity, exercise, or movement type and any mental health outcome published between 1990 and 2020.? Out of 1,158 studies examined, 89% found a statistically significant, positive association between physical activity or exercise and mental health.?
• A study by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry shows physical activity in outdoor natural environments has a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors.

My Personal Testimony: How roller skating transformed my life.

Since my father passed away in November 2019, which brought much grief, my mental health has been on a roller coaster.? When the pandemic hit, my company Infinite Flow Dance nearly collapsed with so many cancellations, adding to the grief.? I sucked up the stress, rolled up my sleeves, and a few months into the pandemic I found myself pivoting with moderate success.? Yet, working 10-12 hours on the computer daily in isolation, I experienced increasing amounts of burnout as the months went by.?

March 2021, I hit rock bottom.? While I had gotten one of the biggest public recognition in my career, being named People Magazine “Women Changing the World” alongside past recipients Oprah, Michelle Obama, and Kamala Harris, every Asian hate crime that hit headlines triggered my PTSD from racism, sexual assault, and so much more, on top of the burnout I was already experiencing.? Meltdown after meltdown, my body froze and I could not function anymore.?

I decided to seek help and signed up for traditional therapy (virtually).? However, I did not feel any better.? In fact, after each session, my body felt heavier and tenser.?

Intuitively and as a dancer, something told me that I needed to turn my attention to my body. One day, as I was quietly meditating, I heard a small voice: Find a new way to move your body with joy that takes your mind off of everything.? (Don’t get me wrong, dancing is my passion, but at this time, I needed something fresh that stimulated my senses and nervous system.)

This led me to discover roller skating in May 2021.? Roller skating was definitely scary at first, but something about being a total beginner student, something about having to be ultra-present in each moment so I don’t fall, and something about still moving to the beat of the music like dancing, was exactly what my soul needed.

As the weeks went by, I fell in love with roller skating.? Skating made me happy, and it became a daily form of “movement meditation”.? I eventually joined an artistic roller skating club.? To this day, I skate for 2 hours each day, 6 days per week.??

The result: I am more productive, I have more energy, I have a much more positive mindset, I feel more connected to my body and inner wisdom, and I’ve been able to prevent burnout before it happens.? A short video on my skating journey:

For the first time, I put my self-care first.? As my roller skating journey progressed, I continued to experimentally explore ways to better connect with my body and inner self through movement, breathwork, and meditation.

Feed your soul first and magic will happen.

Prioritizing self-care paid off in an unexpected way.? One year later, in March 2022, when Asian hate crimes hit the headlines again, my response was different from the year prior. ? I was saddened to hear the news, but to my surprise, I stayed rooted and grounded, and my triggers didn’t flare-up.? I didn’t have a meltdown.? I didn’t cry.? Instead, I continued to skate and continued on with my purpose-driven work at Infinite Flow Dance.?

I realized two significant things:

1. Fearlessly pursuing your dreams - this is activism too.
2. I am called to help others transform their lives by moving joyfully and intentionally.?

So where do you start with this moving-with-joy journey?

Here are a few tips and pointers.

1. If you don’t know what brings your body joy, create two lists:?

1. A list of physical activities that you loved doing as a child.???
2. A list of physical activities that you’ve wanted to do or try.??

Review the list, trust your gut, and start with one.? If the first activity of choice doesn’t quite resonate, it’s ok, move on to another activity.? Find something that brings joy and something that keeps you so present that it takes your mind off of everything.?

2. Get ideas and inspiration from others.?

Here are some from a few LinkedIn members.

From Solita C. Roberts :

From K. Venise Vinegar :

From Zephrine (Mitchell) Hansen :

3. Structured or Unstructured??

For some of us we may find joy in freeform, improvised, non-structured, unsupervised movement.? For others (including myself), your body may experience more euphoria through instruction, feedback, structure, and working towards concrete goals.? Both approaches could equally work and both approaches simultaneously could work together.???

4. When in doubt get out of your comfort zone

Movement is improvement.? If an activity feels out of your comfort zone, this is your chance to try something new.? As you progress, you will feel a sense of joy and accomplishment, and you will feel it with your body.???

5. Make moving your body with joy a routine.

Whether it’s once a day, once per week, before you go grocery shopping, while your kids have their swimming practice, etc, find a way to continue the activity within your life.? The activity of choice should be something you genuinely love doing so much that you would want to return to it no matter what.? And why not also do it with family members. Here's some inspiration from other LinkedIn members:

From Miguelangel (Miguel) Olave :

From Rosan Petrillo :

From Brian (B Mo) Barkley :

From Angeline Solia :

6. Join a movement community

Whether it's group yoga classes, running clubs, a hiking meetup, or live virtual fitness classes, joining a group keeps you accountable and is a great way to make new connections. You don't want to depend on a group meetup to keep you moving, so I do encourage you to find something that you can do independently, but having a community to return to makes it fun. Can't find a group that fits your schedule and needs? Maybe it's time to start one yourself.

7. Create space and time for silence and stillness

As contrary as this may seem from everything I shared in this article, this is one of the most important tips I can give.? With technology at our fingertips, there is not a moment in our busy lives where there is stillness and silence.? This pulls us away from connecting with our bodies. ??Through silence and stillness, we can listen to and hear our bodies.??It's through silence and stillness that we can better appreciate our bodies moving.

Through silence and stillness, we can listen to and hear our bodies.

Take 2 minutes right now and follow my lead for 2 minutes of silence.

Questions? How do you move your body with joy? Post in the comments.

Keep me posted on your journey.

Join my new monthly Movement Metamorphosis Newsletter where I share simple practical transformative movement practices that you can incorporate into your life.

If you are an enterprise interested in incorporating transformative movement practices that accelerate inclusivity, employee engagement, and well-being in your workplace, write to me at [email protected] .

More on my journey & Infinite Flow Dance:

Connect with me:

[email protected]

www.MarisaHamamoto.com

www.InfiniteFlowDance.org