{"id":7330,"date":"2020-04-08T13:13:04","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T17:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fredastaire.com\/pleasant-prairie\/?p=7330"},"modified":"2025-04-21T11:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T16:15:43","slug":"dancing-lowers-stress-improves-mood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fredastaire.com\/pleasant-prairie\/blog\/dance-info-news-trends\/dancing-lowers-stress-improves-mood\/","title":{"rendered":"Dancing lowers stress, improves mood"},"content":{"rendered":"

People are reducing stress, building healthy coping skills and having fun with Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Dancing lowers stress, so we\u2019re recognizing Stress Awareness Month by offering people the chance to decrease anxiety by learning ballroom dancing.<\/p>\n

April marks the start of Stress Awareness Month, which started in 1992 to increase public awareness about the causes and cures for stress. Stress is a normal reaction to change, according to\u00a0Cleveland Clinic. The body reacts to stress with physical, mental and emotional responses. Stress helps keep people motivated and alert, but continuous stress can lead to negative physical symptoms, like headaches or elevated blood pressure. Stress can result in mental health issues as well as increase risk of disease, like heart disease and cancer, Cleveland Clinic reports.<\/p>\n

As Americans are being called on to practice social distancing to prevent the spread of disease, controlling stress remains an essential component of health and happiness. Fred Astaire Dance Studios has suggestions on how to reduce stress and stay healthy during difficult times.<\/p>\n

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  1. Reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption.\u00a0<\/strong>Caffeine is a stimulant and can increase stress levels. Alcohol alters mood and acts as a stimulant in small quantities.<\/li>\n
  2. Sleep.\u00a0<\/strong>A lack of sleep increases stress. Experts advise heading to bed at the same time each night and starting a nighttime routine that includes reading and avoiding checking for updates on your cell phone to help make falling asleep easier.<\/li>\n
  3. Practice mindfulness.<\/strong>\u00a0Taking stock of the present moment and circumstances is a calming way to decrease stress. Focusing on day-to-day concerns is an important tool to reduce worry. Experts advise trying meditation to increase mindfulness and de-stress.<\/li>\n
  4. Exercise.<\/strong>\u00a0Regular exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Guidelines from the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control\u00a0are inspiring Americans to take creative measures to stay in shape from the comfort of their homes. Fred Astaire Dance Studios encourages people to turn on the music and dance your worries away. Dancing reduces stress by relying on breathing and movement. Dancing can increase serotonin production, which improves mood and overall well-being.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Humor is a great stress reliever. Check out these hilarious dance scenes from some familiar movies.<\/p>\n

    Paul Rubenfeld uses humor to defuse a tense situation in this clip from \u201cPee-Wee\u2019s Big Adventure.\u201d The actor wows the tough crowd when he dances to \u201cTequila,\u201d at a biker bar.<\/p>\n