When you’re having a bad day, the last thing you feel like doing is getting up and dancing around to happy music. It sounds like a lot of work, especially when you’re bed rotting or are particularly sad and tired. But according to TikTok, a quick little shimmy could be exactly what you need.
On April 6, creator @beefedlump posted a video saying “a shimmy a day keeps the sad away” as she danced to a peppy remix of “There She Goes” made by Cyril Riley, and it almost immediately became a trend. In the weeks since, people have been posting their own shimmy routines and talking about how good it makes them feel.
In her comments, someone said, “Depression hates a moving target,” implying you can’t be sad if you’re doing a silly little wiggle. Another wrote, “Rebuking the sadness is a whole vibe,” while someone else said, “This is why I downloaded TikTok.”
On April 17, creator @jplarkin shared her version of a shimmy, and it seemed to immediately boost her mood. On April 23, creator @miss__charlotte did a quick shimmy to start her day on a positive note and said it worked like a charm. Meanwhile, @christines_snaps shimmied for all of two seconds before smiling. “Made me laugh. 10/10,” she said.
Here, a therapist explains why a brief little dance can make you feel so good.
The Mental Health Benefits Of Dancing
Whether you start the day with a shimmy, get up and groove on your lunch break, or have a mini shake-off before bed, the act of dancing — even if only for a few minutes — is a guaranteed pick-me-up.
According to Dr. Victoria Grinman, a psychotherapist and mentor, it works because movement stimulates the release of endorphins, aka the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, and it also promotes circulation. That little burst of heart-pumping activity can shake you out of a funk, reset your mind, and help you get back into your body when you’re stressed. Think of it as a grounding exercise.
For some, a shimmy might even help with mild symptoms of depression. “Moving rhythmically engages the motor centers of the brain […] and supports emotional regulation,” she tells Bustle, which in turn boosts your mood. “Dance also provides a channel for self-expression, helping to move stuck or suppressed emotional energy through and out of the body.”
On TikTok, people are shimmying to chase away Sunday Scaries, to deal with work stress, and to get out of a slump. “ It disrupts inertia, introduces playfulness, and stimulates fresh energy, making you feel more awake, alive, and connected,” she Grinman. For some, a wiggly dance is fun. For others, it feels so dumb that it’s impossible not to smile. But the results are always the same.
Many have pointed out that the “shimmy a day” trend can regulate a stressed-out nervous system. “When we move, especially rhythmically, we help discharge excess energy — like a dog shaking off stress — and bring ourselves back into a parasympathetic, or rest-and-digest, state,” says Grinman. “It helps the body feel safe, energized, and alive.”
The shimmy trend is also a form of somatic exercise because it brings awareness back into your body — something that feels amazing when you’ve been stuck in your head all day.
How Long Should You Shimmy?
It’s important to keep in mind that you don’t need to be good at dancing to shimmy. In fact, the worse you are, the better it works, simply because it’ll make you laugh. “Playfulness, vulnerability, and trying something new all engage parts of the brain associated with creativity and flexibility,” says Grinman. “Over time, it becomes easier, more freeing — and even something you crave.”
If you don’t have much energy or motivation, start with just 10 to 15 seconds. “The important thing is not how much you move but that you move with intention,” says Grinman. “Choosing a favorite song, or starting with just swaying in a chair, can help ease into it naturally.”
From there, you can work up to a few minutes of wiggling and dancing around your apartment, or whatever else feels right. “There’s no strict time limit, but about one to two minutes is often enough to feel a real shift,” she says. “I usually suggest dancing for as long as it feels good — and stopping before it feels like a chore.”
The shimmy trend is a fun one to try right now, and it’ll also be handy to have in your back pocket for whenever you’re feeling sad, slumpy, or a little too stressed.
Study referenced:
Pandya, M. (2012.) Where in the brain is depression? Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2012 Dec;14(6):634-42. doi: 10.1007/s11920-012-0322-7.
Source:
Dr. Victoria Grinman, psychotherapist, mentor
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