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Yvona performs at PoleCon 2024

Uninspired and Feeling Retired: Dealing with mental pole fatigue and stagnation

When you started this pole journey, you were so excited.  Every new step felt like a win, and everyone at higher levels was inspirational.  You looked forward to classes and maybe even invested in a home pole.  You shared content online to showcase your journey and grew more confident every day.

So why does it feel like a chore now?

Why do you not feel the joy or thrill you once did? Why does it feel more like an obligation than a passion? Is there something wrong with you?

No, and you’re not alone.

Before we get into it, there is always a chance you have a form of depression, and I recommend being screened by a licensed mental health professional if you have concerns. These feelings may be beyond JUST pole and deserve to be looked into and acknowledged.  As someone diagnosed with depression and on medication with weekly therapy, please take care of yourself.  There is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.

That all said, if for the most part you feel like yourself, except for your waning love for pole, I got you!

It’s easy to feel uninspired by your art, whether it’s pole, drawing, writing, glass blowing, or whatever you have going on.  We dive in and feel we’re flowing, only to one day walk out of class more frustrated than when we walked in.   This can be particularly common for pole performers and competitors who must train and focus on one routine for weeks or months at a time. Going over the same moves, the same drills, the same run-throughs over and over again.  Most of us can’t wait to be able to start working on new things the minute we get off the stage.  Maybe you’ve hit a plateau in your skill development and feel at a standstill, and your motivation drops.  Sometimes, a student can even find themselves in a toxic environment, such as an unfriendly studio, a controlling ex-partner, or social media trolls. So, what does one do? Where do we find our mojo again? 

1. Vibe Check

Whenever you feel “off” and things just aren’t sparking joy, or you find yourself getting easily irritated or emotional, it’s always a good idea to check in with yourself. How are you doing?  Are there any external factors affecting you right now, such as a move, a rough relationship patch, a demanding boss, a heavy workload, or sick children? Is there anything you could change, or at least give yourself a pep talk?  Some things are temporary, and once you push through, you’ll be back to yourself.  Some issues may be more significant problems that need to be addressed to move forward and achieve a better quality of life.  Are there any internal factors coming up?  Is something triggering a trauma? Does your mental health need some love? Is it time to see a doctor or therapist?  Once you sort out any activators, it’s easier to tackle the things affected around it.  Are you coming back from an injury or childbirth, and your body doesn’t work the same as it did?  These are all things to look into.

2. Studio Vibe Check

We choose our studios for various reasons, including location, reviews, recommendations, instructors, classes offered, costs, and goals.  Those reasons and needs can evolve and change over time.  Did your favorite instructor, who really motivated and inspired you and whom you deeply trusted, leave, and now you’re trying to adjust to new people?  Is it not hitting the same?  Does the studio only offer intro and sensual classes, and now that you’ve moved up to more complicated tricks, is there nothing there for you? Did you start taking sensual because that’s what you thought you liked, but now have evolved into another style?  Is the studio super intense about competition training, and it’s all a bit too fierce when all you want to do is dance?  Maybe nothing is wrong, but you just feel stagnant and uninspired.

You can be loyal and supportive of your regular studio and still explore other places and classes.  This is your opportunity to explore other accessible studios, review class descriptions and instructor bios, and discover a new space.  No one says you have to leave your old home studio behind, but a change of scenery or a new style of teaching may ignite something in you.

3. Put Your Thang down, Switch it, and Reverse it.

Just as changing studios, change up your training!  This came to light for me when I attended PoleCon East and took workshops from instructors different from those I’m used to, and the subject matter was outside my comfort zone.  I’m very much into flexibility tricks and the spin pole.  So, I took a choreography and handstand workshop.  The change-up not only sparked new confidence in me but also reinvigorated my creativity.  When I returned to my home studio, I had so many new ideas and projects I wanted to start or incorporate into my training, and it was just the break I needed.  This is very important if you are a pole competitor, professional performer, or instructor.  It’s so easy to get focused on what NEEDS to be done.  That pole becomes all work and no play.  Remember why you started taking pole classes in the first place.  You did it for fun. Remember fun?  Remember the joy of expression? Of learning something new? Remember always to stay a student and remain curious.  Don’t worry about not being good or embarrassing yourself.  The joy is in the journey.  What’s the worst thing that can happen? You don’t like it and never go back again? But did you die?

4. Everyone Loves a Rebrand.

If you haven’t noticed, the theme of this piece is change.  Often, when we feel we’re in a rut, it’s because we’ve gotten complacent in the same routine.  This goes for anything in life.  Sometimes, simply taking a different route to work or making a slight change in sleep habits can make all the difference in the world.  For pole, it’s easy to lean into what we’ve always done and identify ourselves as. “I’m a creepy/alt performer”, “I live in my heels”, “I always lean into a good slow ballad for routines”.  It’s great to know your strengths and how you express yourself in movement.  I enjoy portraying characters with dark storylines or messages, often those with a demonic aspect.  I have completely avoided some shows because they featured specifically low-flow or high-heeled themes.  It didn’t feel like it would be true to myself or be any good.  But how do you know that?  Turns out you can be a creepy demon while also doing leg waves and kips.  We are forever growing as people until the day we die, so why wouldn’t our art?  If you’ve always been sporty, consider trying something more artistic or experimental.  If you’ve always been dynamic, consider trying the Liquid Motion style.   More than likely, you’ll end up finding a way to fuse them and make beautiful hybrid pole routines. Cute!

5. Side Quests

A final suggestion worth exploring is expanding beyond pole into other forms of dance or exercise, not to replace pole, but to complement it and even draw inspiration.  Does your studio offer aerial classes, such as Lyra, Silks, Hammock, or Aerial Pole?  Why not try it out and work new muscles and new styles?  I have recently started taking non-pole dance classes, such as modern contemporary fusion. Although I wasn’t an instant prodigy, it was fun, a new way to understand my body and movement, and it gave my floorwork a new edge. Think of it as a little experiment.  Take the Hula Hoop class! Remember, we’re having fun, people!

Fatigue from any activity in life is normal.  It doesn’t mean you don’t like it anymore, it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you, it’s just the universe’s way of telling you it’s time to shake things up a bit.  Work with what you have, taking into account your budget and location.  Living in New York City, the choices and opportunities are endless, but I grew up in Upstate New York, where there wasn’t even a pole dance studio until years after I moved away.  I’m sure we all would love to go on a pole retreat in Mexico, but on whose dime. Who’s PTO? Do what you can with the resources you have; even the slightest change can lead to explosive results.  Listen to your gut and trust in yourself.  Use crash mats.

Casey Danzig
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