Therapist says dance and pauses can make life less serious

Therapist and presenter Kadi Jaanisoo spent a year posting a dance video on social media every day to make Estonians a little happier and show that life does not always have to be taken so seriously, ERR reported.

Jaanisoo said on the Raadio 2 programme R2 Päev that moments when people stop and realise they are alive are especially important.

Just over a year ago, she challenged herself to post one dance video each day under the name Dance for Mental Health. “I started noticing those joyful, special moments even more, and then it seemed I had somewhere to channel them,” Jaanisoo said.

She made the videos alone, with friends, with her dog and with complete strangers. “People were very willing to join in,” she said.

Jaanisoo said she took on the challenge for two reasons. In her daily work as a creative therapist, she sees how serious people can become, especially when things are not going well. She said many people feel they must not make mistakes or think outside the box, let alone experience joy or laugh at themselves.

“When you make a dance video, you can think different thoughts that you do not usually think in everyday life,” she said. Each video carried the hashtag #elueipeaniitõsineolema, which means that life does not have to be so serious.

Jaanisoo said it was important to stop from time to time. “Sit. Stop. Breathe. Think. Look at the sky and the treetops. Moments of stopping are extremely important,” she said.

People usually hurry constantly until they can no longer manage, she said. “The mind cannot manage and the body cannot manage. These are the moments when you realise: I am alive, I am here, and everything is all right right now.”

Jaanisoo recalled one woman who watched a dance video being made and realised that she, too, could be happy. Jaanisoo said the experience taught her that once people decide to do something, they should stand behind it and hold their heads high.

Although Jaanisoo is a great fan of dancing, she has never attended dance classes. She said people can dance anywhere and do not have to go to a party organised by someone else. “You do not even have to dance. Just move your body,” she said.