Drama is a like a Brain Massage

I don’t about you, but I love going for a massage. Nothing beats that feeling of the stress melting away and you can just let go and forget about all the issues of your week. Even just the physical space that you are in, with gentle music playing and hushed voices, adds to that feeling of escaping the pressure of life. It’s definitely one of my guilty pleasures and frankly something I need to just get through the week sometimes. 

Well, Drama is kind of the same thing, but just for your brain. Now, hear me out. Just as the physical massage is a way to escape and relax, Drama, as a right brain activity, is a way to escape from left brain activities like logical, rational and analytical thinking. We all need to break away from too much thinking and just do something creative - no analysing or logic required. 

Our kids a have to deal with a large amount of pressure of academic achievement, which is mostly left brain centred, from a fairly young age, and by the time they reach high school and especially grade 10 and up, this can all become very overwhelming. And this is where Drama comes in: That one hour a week where they can step away from all that stress and expectations, and just relax and let their right brain take over and have some fun. 

Right brain activities can raise serotonin levels which reduces anxiety, stress, depression, and can even improve sleep. As part of the Helen O’Grady curriculum, we also teach breathing, stretching and relaxation techniques, which are often included in coping techniques for stressful situations like writing exams, and classroom and homework pressures. 

So, next time you have all those nasty knots expertly worked out of your tensed up back or shoulders by the nimble fingers of a masseuse, think about how, by letting your child do Drama, it helps to massage their brains and work out all the stress of life by the expert teachers who offer the fun, escape and the freedom their brains so desperately need.