Salsa Classes Don't Cure Depression, but They Help
According to El Sol de México, a clinical trial suggests salsa classes could help with depression in young people.
El Sol de México reported on a clinical trial according to which salsa classes could help with depression in young people. Read that again: the most serious issue in youth mental health, and a dance floor.
What the trial doesn't promise
A result that says "could help" is not a prescription. No one should drop their treatment for a dance class, and no choreography replaces a therapist. Depression has biological, social and spiritual roots, and anyone going through it needs serious support, not a formula disguised as advice.
Still, there's something in that headline worth a second look. For years we talked about mood as if it happened only in the head. The Christian faith never understood it that way: the whole human being (body, mind, memory, relationships) is involved.
«The body also takes part in life with God»
A body that also believes
Genesis tells us that God formed the human being from the dust and breathed into him the breath of life. We are not a soul inside a container: we are dust with breath. And that body came out good from the hands of its Creator.
That's why Paul writes something so physical: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1, ESV).
Present the body, not just the mind. The body also takes part in life with God: sleeping, walking, eating, dancing. Not as a self-help technique, but because we were made that way.
Joy that is shared
There's a scene in Acts that I like more than I should. The first believers ate together in their homes, with a joy that Luke doesn't exaggerate: "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts" (Acts 2:46, ESV). Food, home and joy. Small things, repeated, with no audience.
Learning to dance almost always involves other people: someone who teaches, someone who counts the same beat. There's something there that a solo workout schedule doesn't guarantee: someone is waiting for you. David danced before the Lord with all his might (see 2 Samuel 6:14), and he didn't do it to show off.
One small step for this week: set aside time on your calendar for something that moves your body and brings you closer to people. A class, a walk with someone from your church, a choir rehearsal. Not as therapy, but as what it is: a gift from the God who invented rhythm.
And if a low mood hasn't let go of you for weeks, talk to a trusted adult, a health professional or your pastor. In an emergency, call your country's emergency services; at findahelpline.com you can find the helpline that works where you live.
Salsa won't save you. The one who saves is Christ, and his work reaches even a body that will one day be fully renewed. In the meantime, dancing near other people doesn't sound like a bad idea. What activity gives you your breath back?
