Focus On
Cecchetti Classical Ballet ~ continued
Far Left Terry Hyde with ISTD President, Dame Beryl Grey Centre Terry Hyde with a group of dancers at Joffrey Ballet School, 2019
Left Terry Hyde as Sancho Panza in Don Quixote at the London Coliseum, 1972
Why it’s okay to not feel okay Terry Hyde, psychotherapist and retired professional dancer, tells us it is okay not to feel okay during the pandemic.
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Over the last year, I have been working with many dancers and performers who have been affected by the pandemic. Some have lost jobs, or up to a year of their training. Many are wondering what the future holds for them in relation to the world of dance. Dancers who have come to me for therapy recently have been suffering from anxiety, depression, and grief. The dancers who came to therapy for grief didn’t realise it was grief at the time, since they were simply struggling to come to terms with some form of transition. Transitions of any type can create feelings of loss, and loss can cause feelings of grief. Transitions can be defined as any type of change. In the world of dance, this could be changing school, moving home or the transition from a career in dance to something new. These changes need to be acknowledged, and sometimes mourned, as they are all examples of loss of identity. The pandemic has brought up many issues for clients who have been surviving in their working life by putting on a brave face. Suddenly, because they were not going out and physically socialising, they no longer had to rely on an imaginary mask to hide their emotions. At the beginning of this transition, emotions understandably started
coming to the surface and bubbling over. Most people’s symptoms related to their suppressed emotional reactions to situations and experiences. In these situations, clients have often said to me, ‘I just put it in a box and forgot about it’. Well unfortunately, ‘it’ doesn’t forget. Your body and mind will push and push to allow these feelings to come out in one form or another. In my sessions, I work with clients to examine and process their perceptions and responses to these events. In doing so, they gradually work out how to move on from them for themselves. By dropping the mask and facing the problem, they can make a fresh start. The pandemic is a completely new situation for us all. It has created challenges for everybody, especially whilst we try to adjust to these constant changes. While we, as humans, can tend to focus on the negative aspects of these adjustments, it is important for us to look for the positive ones as well. Having a flexible way of thinking can allow us to spot opportunities instead of limitations. With a flexible mindset, any situation creates opportunities. If we look at our current situation with a flexible mindset, we are less likely to miss out on new and interesting opportunities that we will not have seen before.
One of my best pieces of advice, for students and teachers alike, is the importance of keeping up a regular routine. Routine and discipline will help you to stay focused on what is important to you at this time. I would also like to add that it is okay not to feel okay. You do not have to have a mental illness to see a therapist. If you are able to and have the access to do so, seeing a therapist simply means that you have acknowledged that you are not feeling ‘well’ emotionally and you don’t know why.
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i Terry Hyde MA MBACP is a Psychotherapist and Counsellor. Having danced with The Royal Ballet, London Festival Ballet (now ENB) and performed in West End musicals, film and television, Terry is in a unique position to understand the mental health needs of dancers and uses that in his one-to-one therapy sessions and mental health self-care workshops. www.counsellingfordancers.com
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