Is Your Posture Affecting Your Emotional Health?
Look at the picture of the two dogs below. It is apparent which dog is stressed, anxious and sad. The little terrier’s shoulders are shrugged, and his head is protruded while angled down. His spine is slumped, and his tail is tucked.
You can display the same postural tendencies associated with stress, fear, anxiety and depression.
It’s intuitive, maybe even obvious that fear, anxiety and depression inform a slumped or guarded posture. But could sitting or standing with a slumped posture create feelings of fear, anxiety and depression?
Could an upright posture relieve these feelings?
Yes and Yes!
Research evidence indicates that posture can influence our emotional state, not just reflect it. An upright posture informs positive self esteem, lowers stress, and reduces perceived feelings of anxiety and depression. While a slumped posture informs low self-esteem, raises stress, and increases perceived feelings of anxiety and depression.
If you are struggling to maintain an upright posture throughout your day, you may need some help. Chiropractic, acupuncture and yoga have long embodied the principle of postural balance and see it as an integral component of health and wellbeing.
You will need to find a practitioner who will perform a thorough evaluation and see you as a whole person. Your posture is not just the position of your bones and the tension of your muscles. Your posture both influences and reflects who you are. Come check out all there is to offer at Tribalance - you and your posture won’t be disappointed!
REFERENCES:
Nair S, Sagar M, Sollers J 3rd, Consedine N, Broadbent E. Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychol. 2015 Jun;34(6):632-41. doi: 10.1037/hea0000146. Epub 2014 Sep 15. PMID: 25222091.
Michalak J, Mischnat J, Teismann T. Sitting posture makes a difference-embodiment effects on depressive memory bias. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2014 Nov-Dec;21(6):519-24. doi: 10.1002/cpp.1890. Epub 2014 Feb 27. PMID: 24577937.
Veenstra L, Schneider IK, Koole SL. Embodied mood regulation: the impact of body posture on mood recovery, negative thoughts, and mood-congruent recall. Cogn Emot. 2017 Nov;31(7):1361-1376. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2016.1225003. Epub 2016 Sep 14. PMID: 27626675.
Wilkes C, Kydd R, Sagar M, Broadbent E. Upright posture improves affect and fatigue in people with depressive symptoms. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2017 Mar;54:143-149. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.07.015. Epub 2016 Jul 30. PMID: 27494342.