Our Emotions Can Influence Our Posture - Our posture can influence our emotions
Do you ever feel like your posture reflects how you’re feelings and emotions? It turns out that there is some truth to this!
Our emotions can influence our posture and vice versa. For example, when feeling confident and assertive, we tend to stand tall and proud. And when we’re feeling down or insecure, our posture often reflects this.
Today’s blog post discusses the link between posture and emotions and how you can use this information to foster greater confidence!
keep reading further down for
9 cues for confident Body Language: how can you use this information to your advantage?
What do we mean by emotions?
Our emotions are how we feel mentally and physically when we are around other people or in certain situations.
They can be positive (e.g., happiness, love, pride) or negative (e.g., anger, sadness, fear).
And they’re not just limited to our facial expressions – they also affect how we hold our bodies.
Body language and posture
Body language is how we communicate non-verbally through posture, gestures, and facial expressions. It can tell others how we’re feeling, even when trying to hide it. And it turns out that our posture can influence our emotions too!
For example, have you ever noticed how your body feels when angry? Your heart rate increases, your muscles tense up, and you might even clench your fists.
Or what about when you’re feeling happy? You might feel lighter, with a sense of energy and excitement.
These changes that happen in our bodies are part of what’s known as the “fight-or-flight” response. When feeling threatened or anxious, this response kicks in to help us defend ourselves or run away from the danger.
Interestingly, this same fight-or-flight response can also be triggered by our posture. So if we’re slouching or hunching over, our brain may interpret this as a sign of danger and activate the fight-or-flight response.
Conversely, standing tall with good posture can signal our brain that we feel confident and secure. This can help to calm the fight-or-flight response and make us feel more positive emotions.
So what's the link between posture and emotions?
It turns out there is a strong connection between the two. Our posture can influence our emotions, and our emotions can influence our posture. This is because when we change our body posture, it changes the way we feel both mentally and physically.
For example, let’s say you’re feeling down about something. You might find yourself slumping your shoulders and looking down at the ground. This can cause you to feel even worse – you might feel like you’re not good enough or that you don’t deserve to be happy.
On the other hand, if you choose to stand up straight and tall, it may change how you feel. For example, you might find yourself feeling more confident and powerful. And this can, in turn, lead to even better posture!
“Adopting an upright seated posture in the face of stress can maintain self-esteem, reduce negative mood, and increase positive mood compared to a slumped posture. Furthermore, sitting upright increases rate of speech and reduces self-focus.”
How does stress affect posture?
Stress is a common emotion that can impact our posture. When we’re stressed, we tend to hunch over and clench our muscles. This can lead to pain in the neck and shoulders, as well as headaches.
When stressed, our breathing patterns shift and cause stress to our middle back muscles. As your shoulder hunches and causes pain in your upper and middle back. Low back pain involves the tailbone and lower leg muscles.
But it’s not only the physical effects of stress that can be problematic – the mental effects can be as harmful. Stress can lead to feelings of anxiety and insecurity, which can further impact our posture.
Can anxiety affect posture confidence?
Anxiety and mood affect the muscle and posture of the individual. Some symptoms of a mild anxiety disorder include slowed physical activity, sleeplessness and solitude. In addition, people suffering from an anxiety disorder often have difficulty maintaining a balanced and expansive posture.
Anxiety can also lead to muscle tension, which can cause pain in the neck and shoulders. Furthermore, anxiety can make it difficult to breathe easily, which can lead to shallow breathing and a hunched-over posture.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, it’s essential to seek help from a recognized health professional. A professional can help you manage your anxiety and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
So how can we use this information to boost our confidence?
It’s not always possible or even necessary to change how we look. However, by paying attention to our posture, we can influence our emotions and how we feel at any given moment. For example, if you’re feeling down or anxious, try altering how you stand and sit.
Explore standing up straighter with your shoulders back – while this is a very simplistic approach, you might find it helps you to feel more confident and optimistic.
And next time you’re in a situation where you want to exude confidence (e.g., an important meeting or presentation), make sure to pay attention to your posture.
9 cues for confident Body Language: how can you use this information to your advantage?
There are a few things you can do to stand tall and nurture building confidence:
Make sure you're 'standing tall'.
When we slouch, it makes us feel more insecure and down. Maintaining an upright posture will make you feel more powerful and confident.
Please note: this is not always possible. So don’t be too hard on yourself.
Keep your shoulders relaxed.
When we’re tense or anxious, we tend to tighten up our muscles, including our shoulder muscles. This can make us look smaller and less confident. Instead, relax your shoulders and keep them down by your sides.
Open your chest.
When feeling powerful and confident, we tend to open up our chest and take up more space. This will help you to appear taller and more confident.
Lift tall from the top of your head.
Imagine being lifted by a string holding onto the top of your head. Visualizing your head floating upwards will help to lengthen your spine and make you appear taller.
Maintain eye contact.
Where a person’s eyes go, the head will follow. Looking ahead or upwards will help you position your head.
Stay grounded.
We tend to fidget and move around when we feel anxious or down. This can make us look less confident and unsure of ourselves. Instead, stay grounded by planting your feet firmly on the ground.
Focus on the tripod of the feet and imagine yourself rooted to the ground like a tree.
When sitting: think of sitting on your 'sitz' bones (Ischial Tuberosity).
This is the bony part of your butt you feel when sitting on a hard surface.
When sitting self-consciously, we tend to slump or lean forward and round our shoulders. This makes us look smaller and poses less confident posture.
Instead, try to sit up straight and align your spine with your sitz bones. This will help you to appear taller and more confident.
Walk with purpose.
When we walk with our head up and shoulders back, it gives us a sense of confidence. So even if you’re walking around your house or down the street, try doing it with purpose. This will help you to feel more confident in yourself.
Smile!
While it may not be a surefire way of change. A smile not only makes us look happier but also makes us feel happier. When you smile, you’ll automatically stand up straighter and feel more confident.
Seek guidance! There is no one size fits all.
While it is possible to feel different by the act of changing how you sit and stand, several factors influence your mood and emotions.
As always, seek professional assistance if you have any questions or concerns. There is no substitute for caring and knowledgeable help.
Finally
Our emotions can definitely influence our posture, for better or worse. Following the tips in this article, you can learn how to change your posture and mood while developing more confidence.
Standing tall and proud with proper posture will make you feel more powerful and confident, while relaxing your shoulders and opening up your chest will help you feel happier and more at ease.
So next time you’re feeling down, try standing up straight – it just might make all the difference!
PLEASE NOTE
PostureGeek.com does not provide medical advice. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical attention. The information provided should not replace the advice and expertise of an accredited health care provider. Any inquiry into your care and any potential impact on your health and wellbeing should be directed to your health care provider. All information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical care or treatment.