-Blog by Justice Graham, Ottawa University Spirit Program Director & Mental Health Specialist
If you’ve been anywhere near dance social media this week, you’ve seen it. The post-UDA Nationals fallout has been brutal. Comment sections are filled with armchair judges zooming in on screenshots to find flat feet, breaking down every technicality, claiming teams were “robbed,” questioning judges’ qualifications, and dissecting scoresheets like it’s the Super Bowl replay booth.
And here’s the thing, whether your team placed exactly where you hoped or not, this negativity affects everyone. It affects the dancers being criticized. It affects the dancers who won, now second-guessing if they “deserved” it. And it absolutely affects future competitors who are now terrified that one split-second caught on camera could define their entire season.
So how do we navigate this? How do we protect our mental health when the noise gets loud and the trolls come out?
1. Remember: Social Media Doesn’t Decide Champions; Judges Do
The people with credentials, experience, and full-view perspectives made the calls. They saw the entire performance live, in real-time, from multiple angles. Social media sees a pixelated close-up of one moment frozen in time. Trust the process, even when it’s hard. Scoresheets and placements are official. Instagram comments are not.
2. Limit Your Scroll Time
If checking social media is making you feel worse, put the phone down. Set boundaries. Give yourself permission to step away for 24, 48, even 72 hours. The discourse will still be there if you want to come back to it, but your peace of mind doesn’t have to be sacrificed in the meantime.
3. Focus on What You Can Control
You can’t control what strangers say online. You can’t control how people interpret a scoresheet or a performance. But you can control how you talk to yourself, how you support your teammates, and what energy you bring to practice. Channel frustration into improvement, not comparison.
4. Talk to Someone You Trust
Coaches, teammates, parents, mentors, lean on your people. Process what you’re feeling out loud with someone who gets it. Bottling up emotions or letting them fester in a comment section isn’t healthy. Real conversations > Instagram rants.
5. Celebrate the Work, Not Just the Outcome
Whether you hit zero or had a rough day, you made it to Nationals. You put in months of blood, sweat, and tears to get there. That effort doesn’t disappear because someone on Twitter decided to critique your toe point. You are more than one performance. You are more than one placement. You are more than what social media says about you.
How to Mentally Recover When the Damage Is Already Done
If you’re already feeling the weight of the negativity—if the comments got to you, if you’ve been replaying moments over and over, if you’re questioning everything—here’s how to start healing:
Give Yourself Permission to Feel
You don’t have to “get over it” immediately. It’s okay to be upset, frustrated, or hurt. Let yourself process those emotions without judgment. Cry if you need to. Journal. Vent to someone safe. Suppressing feelings only makes them last longer.Reframe the Narrative
Instead of “I messed up and everyone saw it,” try “I competed at the highest level and I’m learning from this experience.” Your inner dialogue matters. Talk to yourself like you would talk to a teammate going through the same thing.Reconnect with Why You Dance
When the competition pressure fades, what’s left? The joy. The artistry. The friendships. The feeling of nailing a routine in practice when no one’s watching. Get back to that. Remember what made you fall in love with dance in the first place.Set New Goals That Aren’t About Validation
Shift your focus from external approval to internal growth. Maybe it’s mastering a new skill, improving your endurance, or being a better teammate. When your goals are about becoming better—not proving something to strangers online—you take back your power.Seek Professional Support If You Need It
If the anxiety, self-doubt, or stress feels unmanageable, talk to a counselor or sports psychologist. There’s zero shame in getting help. Elite athletes do it all the time. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
To the dancers feeling crushed by criticism: You are not defined by a screenshot or a comment. You are defined by your resilience, your dedication, and your love for this sport.
To the dancers afraid of being next: Don’t let fear of judgment keep you from giving everything you have. Perfection is impossible. Progress is what matters.
To everyone watching from the sidelines: Be kind. Be thoughtful. Remember there are real people behind every routine people who have worked harder than you know and who are reading every word you type.
The dance community is at its best when we lift each other up, not tear each other down. Let’s get back to that.