How Many Mental Issues Can You Have? Using Dance as a Coping Mechanism

The sadness began to dominate, the phobias started to prevail, and a sense of helplessness in my environment set in.

Usually people with anxiety disorders hide it well, although in their minds they think everyone can tell.

The fear of everyone looking at them when near other people is overwhelming.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population).

Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.

Looking at the facts of anxiety and stress-related disorders, the realization that being alone in the turbine of fear seemed not to be the case. Could it help to know the facts or would it compile the feeling of despair?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 2.2 million, 1.0% equally common among men and women.

Hoarding is the compulsive purchasing, acquiring, searching, and saving of items that have little or no value.

Panic Disorder 6 million, 2.7% Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 7.7 million, 3.5% Women are more likely to be affected than men.

Social Anxiety Disorder 15 million, 6.8% equally common among men and women, typically beginning around age 13.

Specific Phobias 19 million, 8.7% Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.

Anxiety and Depression usually go hand in hand and it is not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa.

When plagued with anxiety disorder, other disorders rear their ugly heads putting things into a much more complicated situation.

•Bipolar disorder

•Eating disorders

•Headaches

•Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

•Sleep disorders

•Substance abuse

•Adult ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactive disorder)

•BDD (body dysmorphic disorder)

•Chronic pain

•Fibromyalgia

•Stress

Information can be enlightening, to identify the reason for behaviors that were starting to interfere with life and relationships. When your ‘being’ hurts, your dreams scare you, not when you are sleeping but when you are daring yourself to dream big.

When you want to be famous but the utter thought of it makes you physically sick, contradictions you struggle with, plant you in a mode of survival. When anxiety disorders are a force that takes over your life, you shelter yourself from embarrassment that does not exist, disappointments that have not happened, judgments’ that only you know about.

It is exhausting to evaluate yourself constantly. Evaluating your performance while you are performing takes away from the performance itself. Trying to guess other people’s reactions consumes you and invites panic and that feeling you dread. Avoiding situations gets easier the more you practice, if I could only disappear.

I stopped dancing….

When thrown into deep thought and reflection, I came to the realization that in order to truly succeed and to manifest the changes I desired in my life, I needed to take the bold step of promoting myself. This was not merely about self-promotion in the superficial sense, but rather about recognizing my own worth and the unique contributions I could make to the world around me. For far too long, I had spent an excessive amount of time and energy devising clever ways to avoid stepping into the spotlight, all while grappling with an incessant need for validation and approval for every single thought and idea that crossed my mind. This cycle of seeking external affirmation had become a barrier to my own growth, stifling my creativity and potential.

In my relentless pursuit of inspiration, I found myself constantly searching for guidance and direction, often feeling lost and overwhelmed. I surrounded myself with a myriad of life coaches, motivational quotes, articles, and an overwhelming number of self-help books. Each of these resources seemed to promise a path to enlightenment, with the authors and speakers exuding confidence and knowledge that often left me feeling inadequate in comparison. It felt as though everyone else possessed insights and wisdom that I lacked. Whenever I stumbled upon a glimmer of inspiration—a spark that ignited the possibility of setting goals or crafting dreams—I paradoxically transformed into a master of self-sabotage. I would unwittingly dismantle any progress I made, constructing a narrative of unworthiness and failure that solidified my belief that all the great advice and motivational insights were simply not meant for someone like me. This internal dialogue became a powerful force, perpetuating a cycle of doubt and discouragement that was difficult to break free from.

Now I knew this was happening, that I was my own worst enemy and I realized I had stopped dancing.

In my daily search of ‘help me out of this hole’ I realized that I needed to write my bio with powerfully positive words…not just words on paper but words that were truths and I really needed to believe those words.

I've visited numerous sites where I've read others' bios, and while I was impressed by most, one truly stood out. The words jumped off the screen, and I found myself liking this person, even though I had no idea who she was.

Then it dawned on me, like a paper airplane finally finding its landing spot, that I had been attempting to write about myself in a certain way to appeal to others, to meet expectations, to be 'good enough to get in the door,' following guidelines and so on. Who exactly was I trying to portray? I lacked the belief that I was amazing, which rendered everything I wrote mere fluff.

I forgot to dance…..

Crank up the music and dance like no one is watching.

I had searched for examples of bios, almost wishing I could be someone else to make it easier to write my own. Then I remembered all I had to do was dance, I am happy when I dance, it feels good, great exercise, mind relaxing……so when

I remembered to dance…..

I am a sexy, fun loving woman who believes that sometimes dancing in your pajama pants as the sun streams through the windows makes you a star in your show. Laughter and fun to start a day, then share it with the world because everyone needs to dance. Don't hide it, just dance.