Five Strictly steps to cha-cha-change your mindset

Strictly Come Dancing is what autumnal Saturday nights are all about as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman bring the glitz and glamour of the ballroom to BBC One and iPlayer.

With celebrities including Gladiator's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey aka Nitro, TV personality Vicky Pattison and Lioness legend Karen Carney all aiming to impress on the dance floor and lift the Glitterball trophy, we look at some Strictly-inspired steps to cha-cha-change your mindset and improve wellbeing.

1. Don't stress in a sparkly dress

There's nothing more stressful for the celebrity dancers than waiting to go onto the dance floor, knowing that millions of people will be watching at home. Maybe they should use some of our World of Wellbeing stress-relieving techniques in the backstage area! One technique to give you instant-calmness is Dr T's 'double inhale, exhale' breathing technique, here's how you do it:

• Take a big breath in through your nose.
• Give yourself a quick top-up breath through your nose.
• Then a long exhale through your mouth.

You can read some more tips for managing stress and watch our World of Wellbeing vodcast here.

2. Cha-cha-changes

The cha-cha-cha is one of the dances that the Strictly pros will be trying to teach the celebrities, but if you've had some big cha-cha-changes in your life, then Kit Brown and Dr T discussed how to cope with change in one episode of World of Wellbeing – you might want to listen to it.

Dr T says: "Be kind to yourself - When you're going through a tough time, it’s a big deal and often you might be your own worst critic. But think about what you would say to a friend in this situation? If your mate was going through it, you would likely tell them something like, 'try to relax' and 'please take time to look after yourself'."

3. Take feedback on board

It's expected that the celebrity dancers will have some low scores throughout the series, especially from long-standing judge, Craig Revel Horwood! But feedback from the judges will be key to improving their routines as the weeks go on. Like the Strictly celebs, it's important that you get feedback and seek help from your teachers when you are struggling, this will help reduce stress, particularly around homework tasks!

In our Homework Helpline series, our 'Helpline Heroes' told us: "You might be able to email your teacher directly, or message them via an online platform to ask questions. You could also ask your teacher if you can go and chat to them about your homework. Whatever approach you choose to take, try to be specific about what you need help with. Rather than saying “I can’t do my homework” or “I can’t do question 10”, say what you’ve already done, and why you’re stuck".

4. Healthy body, healthy mind

Strictly's professional dancers like Amy Dowden and Johannes Radebe are incredibly fit, and their celebrity partners have spoken in previous series about boosts in their own fitness once taking up their new skill, dancing is a great form of exercise after all!

There are loads of benefits to keeping fit and exercising, it can improve your mood, reduce stress and even help your performance in school! But if dancing isn't your thing, you can find a list of some alternative forms of keeping fit here. A game of Korfball anyone?

5. Rejection can be hard to handle

It's inevitable that the Strictly stars will face a dance off at some point throughout the series, which may mean they get voted off the show. This rejection can be hard to handle for the celebs, particularly if they miss out on a key week, like Blackpool, movie week or the final.

You too may face rejection in school or life, for example, you might not make it onto a school sports team, or your crush may not feel the same way about you as you do about them. We spoke to Dr Martha Deiros Collado who told us: "Living life is about going for the things that you want, and rejection is part of this process. Everyone gets rejected sometimes, and rather than avoid rejection by holding back from doing things that scare you, it’s better to learn how to cope with it so you don’t miss out on what you want and you can learn how to do better next time."

If you've found this article helpful, then check out our Guide to School Life for more fantastic tips to boost your wellbeing!

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.