It’s built into our subconscious with subtle hints on social media:
“Hard work never stops.”
“24/7.”
“Studio grind.”
It makes sense, after all: it’s been drilled into our heads that practice makes perfect, and especially in ballet, it’s tempting to spend all of our extra time in the studio working on that one extra pirouette, or increasing our extension.
But all of those extra hours? They can start to wear down on your body.
For one thing, overexertion can lead to issues like trouble sleeping, anxiety, and fatigue during your classes—meaning that you aren’t performing your best.
When your muscles are exhausted, you’re more prone to injury because you aren’t structurally sound; you’re not taking enough time to recover and heal the stress that your muscles are under during the day.
Your brain is exhausted, too! You’re less able to absorb new information, and communicate that information to the rest of your body. You may be able to conceptualize corrections, but you’ll be less able to execute them.
Not to mention—you’ll be irritable and start to lose the fire and passion you had.
So, make sure that you’re practicing hard, but make sure that you’re balancing that with enough sleep, water, and other things that you enjoy.
That includes Netflix!
Raella Rayside
