In a previous post we talked about a simple trick to improve confidence. And I stress again that making yourself look more confident will make others treat you as if you are more confident and in turn make you feel more confident! This can be very important when battling anxiety. Before we focussed on body language to improve confidence and I want to continue that theme now with a word or two about posture.
Posture has long been linked to emotion. The famous Alexander technique links posture with all sorts of physical and mental health benefits. In short, posture can definitely help with breathing, digestion and aches and pains. More about that another day, I want to talk about confidence.
People who slouch and have hunched rounded shoulders don’t look confident. They look more nervous, less enthusiastic, less outgoing, less interesting, less brave and less attractive! And just like before, how you look will effect how other people interact with you and, most importantly, how you feel.
So how do you change your posture to make yourself look and feel more confident? People have written books on the subject and there are therapists who ran entire courses on posture. But, as always, you can start now for free!
This technique, borrowed from the work of Alexander, is a good one. All you have to do is imagine a golden thread attached to the back of the top of your head, say three inches from the highest point of your crown. Imagine this golden thread is gently being pulled tight, lifting your head and straightening your spine a bit. That is it, just allow yourself to be more erect and taller. Don’t over do it, you don’t want to appear arrogant and aggressive. Don’t force it either, just let yourself get pulled up a bit, whether you are sitting or standing. As it becomes second nature you may find great changes taking place!
