This is no secret, our body reflects our emotional state. Body language has been studied for a long time. We can tell if someone is happy or sad, under stress or relaxed, feeling assertive or fearful, powerful or weak simply by observing their body language.
This is not a new expression: Fake it till you make it. It’s likely you’ve heard this in a variety of situations such as feeling confident in a strange situation or changing your emotion from depressed to happy. Have you ever felt like you’re being dishonest or inauthentic when even considering faking it?
Part of “faking it” is how you hold your body. Standing up straight, smiling, open postures and so on help you feel good and confident. Crossing your arms, slouching, scowling all make you feel small and less confident. It’s a well documented fact that how you hold your body affects how you feel.
I notice this all the time. When I’m feeling uncomfortable in a situation, I make myself small. I’ve said many times that at six feet tall, I could easily walk into a room and be completely invisible. All it takes is small, closed body language. I can then turn around and walk into the same room with confident, powerful body language and turn every head. You can too!
When I’m feeling down or lazy, all I need to do is force myself to stand or sit straight and suddenly my whole feeling about what I’m doing (or procrastinating) changes.
It is possible. Change your mind with your body. It can really be that easy.
There is a Ted Talks by Amy Cuddy that covers this in excellent detail. Take 20 minutes to learn more about faking it till you make it and be inspired by how making a few small changes in the way you hold your body can change everything! Fake it until you become it.
Hugs,
Christie Mawer – The Bad Kitty
Christie@TheBadKitty.com