Dancing With Myself

Do you ever have those days when you’re waiting for something or someone, or you’re bored out of your mind, or you have something to do but just don’t want to do it? Then a really good song comes on your iTunes… and wait! What’s that? A mirror?!?! And suddenly you’re dancing like a maniac in front of that same mirror, without inhibition. Damn, you’re sexy! Look at those moves! You’re a dancing prodigy.

The best part? You don’t care what you look like! (Because you’re a sexy beast, remember?). And before you know it the song has changed and you’re wiggling and gyrating in front of your mirror to “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan (ahem, this has never been me. Ever. *cough*). You’re singing along at the top of your lungs and you don’t give a damn what anyone thinks.

Speaking of sexy beasts....

And then your little brother walks in. Or some other family member. Or your house hippo. And suddenly you’re ashamed and embarrassed, but why?

For some reason we think that this ridiculous act (dancing in front of the mirror) is something to be made fun of. But is it? Remember in that moment when you were screaming “WE MUST BE SWIFT AS A COURSING RIVER” with your fist in front of your chest staring at that gorgeous face with that fire in your eyes? You felt confident, you felt sexy, and you were being yourself. What’s wrong with that?

As Billy Idol puts it:

Exactly Billy! There’s nothing to lose and there’s nothing to prove, so you’re just dancing with yourself! It’s so much FUN!
Besides, as soon as your brother, or sister, or parents, or house hippo leaves the room, you know you’re gonna pump that music right up again and start dancing. You might even jump up on your bed and start jiving around. (Not that I would know, because I’ve never done that either….)

Just dancing on the bed, no big deal.

Actually, that was a two person dance party. But I was dancing alone on the bed. At that moment at least.

Why do we do it though? What compels us to dance when nobody is watching us? Or to dance at all?

Well, you’ve got to admit, there’s nothing quite like breaking it out with no inhibitions and banging your head around like you’re some kind of lunatic. However, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Dancing actually releases endorphins, a “feel good” hormone. So when you’re breaking it out, your feeling good and confident partially because of this hormone! And guess what, the longer you dance, the better you’ll feel. So dancing in your room is actually really good for you!

So I definitely recommend dancing alone in front of the mirror as a regular exercise. It’s a feel-good confidence booster. No downside that I can see. In fact, I think I’m going to do that now. I just can’t stop myself when Moves Like Jagger comes on.