That's space for you.

Hi friends, it's Sam here.

Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Tuesday.

So something I've been working on for a long time is letting go of what others think about

my dancing.

I noticed that some people aren't self-conscious at all when they dance, and to me these moments

are magical.

I've always wanted to feel that kind of freedom, and I'm happy to report that I've had more

moments like these, the most recent of which occurred at the gym while I was on the treadmill.

So I was running really fast to a great song and I just began to mouth the words and do

a kind of hybrid dance run.

When I saw a man next to me flash a knowing smile like he knew this feeling, and he seemed

delighted that I was experiencing the freedom of not giving a damn about how I looked.

Sometimes we worry that we won't be accepted by others as we are, but when we take that

leap of faith, we often see that people are delighted to share in our joy.

So today let's talk about how we can feel more confident in expressing our joy, especially

when we feel self-conscious, and why that's important not just for you, but for others

as well.

Let's start with the science behind how expressing our joy can be good for others.

In a way, our brains reflect each other through something called mirror neurons, and that

means that our brain rehearses what other people are doing while they're doing it.

So when someone sees you dancing with a band-in, they can imagine themselves doing the same,

...