How Pole Dancing Helped Me Heal (and How It Keeps Me Going)

For years, I lived under the weight of depression and anxiety. Always tired, always trying to keep up. I’d push through days feeling like I was failing at life while everyone else just...functioned. I’d find something that helped for a little while, but it never felt complete. There was always something missing.

Then I found pole.

At first, it was just something different to try. A way to move my body and escape my head. But it quickly became so much more. Pole gave me a space where I had to be present—like really present. You can’t just go on autopilot like on a treadmill. You have to focus, or you might fall. You have to watch, listen, and feel. And in doing that, you don’t have room for the mental chaos. You’re just...in it. Alive. And that’s powerful.

The pole community was another surprise. Classes full of people who genuinely cheer for you, who clap when you nail a move (even if it’s tiny), who celebrate your wins and lift you up on your off days. It’s not just fitness. It’s family.

Still, despite the joy pole brought, I always felt like I was missing the memo. Like everyone else had a manual for life that I just never got.

Then—finally—I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

Suddenly, everything made sense. All the years of masking, the exhaustion, the overwhelm. It wasn’t just depression and anxiety. I wasn’t broken—I just had a different brain.

Now, I’m in a relationship where I’m loved exactly as I am. I’ve let go of the need to "keep up" or fit into someone else’s idea of normal. I work less, rest more, and live truer. And pole? Pole is still here. Still my escape, my joy, my therapy.

Even better, I now get to share it with others. I use my skills to bring joy, to help people move through their own mental health journeys. Because this isn’t just about spins and tricks—it’s about healing. Connection. Celebration.

Pole saved me in more ways than I can count. And I’m so grateful for where it’s brought me