Dance to the Music
Even if it's decades-old...
I love to help job pivoters reclaim their sense of purpose and move into fulfilling jobs. I’ve done this myself, and I want to share what I’ve learned with you. Please feel free to reach out to me at ruth@confidentcareersearch.com if you have a question about your job search or feel a mismatch with what you’re doing now. Feeling lost in your career? Want to chat? Book time with me.
A few weeks ago, I decided to go dancing.
I haven’t done that for quite a while. The last time I seriously “clubbed” was when I was in my 20s. Nearly every Friday or Saturday, I would go to a local dance bar with friends and sweat it out to the beats of New Wave synth, electro-funk, and house music.
But these moments have been rare. As I’ve aged, I’ve shed many of the fully free-spirited aspects of myself. Some of it I chalk up to time constraints. I’ve just had more to do as I’ve grown older, and my priorities have shifted. My knee arthritis doesn’t help.
But lately, I’ve been feeling that something is missing from my life:
The fun part. The spontaneous part. I have started to feel old. I hate it.
I decided to take a step back to meet myself as I used to be, and perhaps still am.
So I bought a ticket for a dance party at a local arts venue. Just me. My husband was working that night, and it was last-minute, so I wasn’t sure anyone would be free to accompany me.
I entered the space, nervous about how I would fit in. I wore a loose-fitting cotton jumpsuit and sneakers. I don’t know “how” people dance in these settings nowadays. How they dress. Would I stand out?
Turns out I needn’t have worried! It was a party staged by a local DJ, and the attendees were mostly his friends and family. I spent part of the evening chatting with them. Their ages spanned the spectrum from their 20s to 60s (and few older than that).
I got out onto the dance floor and started moving, and soon, others joined me. I was impressed by how much the younger attendees appreciated the 1980s mixes.
It was a blast! I felt energized. I felt like I’d “recovered” the old me!
I want to do it again! And I want to add a few things to my list. Next: roller skating! My friend and I, as high schoolers, used to go frequently to a local rink in our city. I miss it. I have a pair of skates. Need to get them on my feet!
And something else happened. My mood lightened.
I have been feeling more optimistic. Ideas are flowing through my head! There is a project I’ve been stalled on, and now I’m working on it!
Now, when I feel glitchy, I put on some music and dance. It’s remarkable to me how energizing it is! Endorphins!
So here’s why I’m writing about this:
If you’re contemplating a career transition, you’re probably feeling stressed and constrained. If you have been in a job for a while, and you like it, but find it tough to get going in the morning—asking, “Is this all there is?”—it could be that you’re burned out, but not just on the job; on life.
So, consider this:
If You’re Burned Out, It Might Be Play Deprivation.
Dr. Stuart Brown, author of Play, compares play deprivation to sleep deprivation.
You feel foggy. You’re crying out for some relief!
Could reconnecting with that part of yourself be the antidote to that nagging thought, “I don’t know what I want to do next”?
Here are some ideas to help you reconnect with your inner playful adult:
🚶♀️Walk around your neighborhood. Allow yourself to stop and look at interesting rocks (put them in your pocket! 😊). Or pause to find the shapes in the clouds.
🎨Grab some art materials. Pens, markets, some paints, or a journal, and just start creating, privately, just for yourself. Finger paint! Draw circles and make faces out of them. (I also do this!)
💃Dance to music you love. Those songs from high school or college days? Find them on Spotify (or in your vinyl collection) and get the party started!
🪀Building, storytelling, climbing, pretending? Try a grown-up version of that—LEGO kits, museum visits, making a costume, reading comic books. (Learn some Yo-Yo tricks!)
😜Talk in a Funny Voice. Just for a minute. Seriously. To yourself, a pet, or a friend. It shifts your energy fast.
You might regain a lightness and feel happier. Your brain might respond to the break by helping you remember an idea you forgot about. You might regain your enthusiasm for life and work.
You might start feeling whole again.