During her career, Tia Ungar, a dancer, cheerleader and joy-based coach based in chronic anxiety. When his anxiety culminates, it is a challenge to learn and remember the choreography.
“When I was at the worst with my anxiety, even being in a dance class was something quite anxious for me,” says Ungar. “Trying to calm down and being present, I didn't always have much space left to remember what I was physically supposed to do.”
Learning and conservation of choreography and corrections can be difficult for any dancer. But some mental health problems – such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD and SSPT, to name only a few – can make even more difficult to deal with and recover memories. Understanding how these conditions have an impact on the brain and finding ways both to resolve these changes and improve global memory, can help dancers to face.
How mental health affects memory
The effects of mental health on memory can differ depending on the nature of mental health, according to Paula Thomson, clinical psychologist who works with dancers and is a professor at California State University, Northridge.
Depression affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain, “which is very involved in the treatment and recovery of memory,” explains Thomson. This can make the mind less lively, as well as disturbing hunger and sleep cycles. Without nutrition and appropriate rest, a dancer will be even less equipped to operate with a maximum memory capacity.
The conditions related to anxiety often lead to a divided concentration, which means that a person takes care of both the task to be accomplished and his experience of anxiety. “When people have an anxious disorder, they feel the anxiety so strongly that they cannot trust themselves to learn, because they are so anxious about the catastrophic” what if “,” said Thomson.
Some dancers could also dissociate themselves as an adaptation mechanism for great anxiety. The dissociation refers to a state of disconnection where an individual feels somehow separated from the present moment or his sense of self. “The memory area of the brain, the hippocampus, in a way of shutters, because the dosage of anxiety is so high,” explains Thomson, which can cause memory gaps.
Tools for dancers
When mental health problems cause memory problems, “the first step is to recognize and take care of personal care,” said Thomson. If the problem is relatively soft, there are tactics that you can practice for yourself. To calm anxiety, Ungar recommends taking a series of stabilizing breaths, which can help regulate the nervous system, resulting in a decrease in the physical symptoms of anxiety. Thomson also suggests starting every day with an internal scan to assess your physical and mental well-being, so you can implement self-regulation skills to help you feel more present. Examine things like your anxiety levels, your emotions and your appetite.
“If this becomes a persistent problem, ask for professional help,” explains Thomson. Consider reaching out to a mental health professional with work experience with dancers, creatives or athletes, who can provide you with suitable advice and adaptation strategies.
To help improve memory, Kathleen McGuire Gaines – a former dancer and founder of Minding The Gap, an organization focused on mental health matters within the dance industry – is starting to use visualization techniques. Browse difficult choreographic sequences and imagine you mastering them, for example, can help cement these sequences in your memory. “There has been a lot of research on the effectiveness of visualization and the way it connects your mind and your body,” she explains.
Ungar agrees, adding that listening to music helped his visualization practice. “I get used to music really helped me when I was in these situations where my anxiety was high and I was more stressed, to count a little more on memory,” she said.
McGuire Gaines encourages the dancers to ask questions if the choreography does not sin. In addition, if you feel comfortable, be honest about your mental health with your teacher or artistic director. They may be able to help provide resources and other supports.
