How Going Back To School Will Impact Your Irish Dancing Mindset

It is back-to-school time for all Irish Dancers across the World and this can bring its own set of emotions. Some dancers are craving their routine back, whilst others want to stay on their summer holidays forever - but either way, the return to school must happen! 

If you are not homeschooled, this is a time that Dancers sometimes forget will impact their Irish Dancing and their Mindset and the more Dancers are aware of this, the easier they will find this transition to be. 

Why will going back to school impact my Irish Dancing? 

Going back to school can be exciting, but it is also a very tiring time. I assume you haven’t spent the last six (plus) weeks off school working on your school work or concentrating for 6 hours a day? That is definitely not how I spent my school holidays at least! So for a start off, our brains are out of practise of concentrating for many hours at a time, let’s not forget that concentrating on a task is tiring. It isn’t just physical work like dancing that tires us out, it is also the brain working which can tire us out too. 

Plus, unless you have stayed in the same routine during the summer holidays, you are likely to feel tired due to the early mornings when you first go back to school. This means that your energy levels will be impacted, as well as your ability to regulate and understand your emotions and concentration levels too. 

How will it impact my Irish Dancing? 

There are many ways in which going back to school could impact your Irish Dancing; for example: 

• Less energy 
• Finding it harder to concentrate 
• Finding it harder to understand and regulate your emotions 
• Potential for burnout 
• More time constraints 
• Less flexibility/freedom in time

But there are also many benefits to going back to school for your Irish Dancing, such as:

• Time to see friends which will make you happier
• Improved time management skills
• Helping to prioritise what to work on
• Back into a routine
• More chances to increase self-confidence and belief 

What can I do to help my Mindset during the first week of school? 

During your first week of school there are things you can do to help your Mindset, even with the changes going on around us. 

Create a timetable 

The first thing you can do is to create a timetable so that you don’t feel overwhelmed or stressed by going back to school and the additional priorities you have to manage. Make sure that your timetable is realistic - the best way to do this is to start with the things that you have to do, for example going to school, attending dance classes, bedtimes etc. Then add in the things that you are going to prioritise, for example a rest day, stretching, mobility work, reading etc. Then add in things that you would like to do, for example going to the cinema, or watching a movie. 

Be kind to yourself 

Make sure that this week you are treating yourself with kindness! There are lots of changes happening around you and that can have a big impact on us mentally, physically and emotionally, so don’t make this even harder for yourself by treating or talking to yourself harshly! Have patience and talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend. 

Communicate your feelings 

During this time, it is important to communicate your feelings with your friends and family and ask for help if you need it. Let those around you know how you are feeling, so that they can help you manage this transition smoothly. In the MWM Gold Club, we’re always here to offer support and most of the time, what you’re feeling we have felt it before too. 

Rest

Resting is key when we have lots of emotional and physical changes happening around us, so make sure that you are going to bed early, are having a rest day and spend time during the weekend resetting yourself to take on another week by being organised, writing your timetable and getting organised. 

Have the best time going back to school and remember, that no matter what this school year brings, you are capable, you are unique and you are important.