From Awkward to Shining in TWO Minutes.
Jan 25, 2024
Can you point out a nervous or anxious person from a distance?
Yes?
What do they look like? Is it in their posture? Is it in their choice in where to stand? Is it something about they way they interact with others?
It’s all of it, right?
When we feel anxious, our body language changes. Those who study in relation to evolution suggest that our anxious body language is our way of protecting our hearts. When we feel danger, we hunch our shoulders inward and perhaps, cross our arms. We may fidget because cortisol is giving us a sense of urgency or the need to move quickly.
For many, many decades, we considered the brain to be like a command center for our body. We believed that our brain told the rest of our body what to do. We weren’t wrong, but we missed something important.
The messages go BOTH ways. Our brain tells our body how to respond to our emotional state. And our body sends signals to our brain which responds with corresponding chemical and electrical signals.
This new(ish) information is great news for someone who may feel awkward and anxious in a social situation.
My personal experience with this is the time that I went for a job interview after spending a few years at home with my babies. I had spent so much time with my babies that I felt awkward around adults. I couldn’t even remember what to talk about. I worried that being away from my career meant I had lost my abilities. Needless to say, I felt awkward and anxious.
Just before that interview, I had thankfully seen a Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy. She’s one of those researchers that studies how our brain and body communicate with each other.
In her research, they found that if you stand in a “power pose” for two minutes, you can actually change your brain chemistry to actually FEEL more confident.
This brings a whole new meaning to “fake it until you make it”.
As I waited for my turn to interview, I felt more and more anxious and awkward. I excused myself to the bathroom and stood there with my shoulders back, my posture tall, my hands on my hips. I’m sure that it’s a funny image but I was desperate to feel more confident. Well, it worked, I got the job and life went on as usual.
I use the “power pose” whenever I need it. Here are some great uses for the power pose:
~When you want to feel more confident in a specific situation
~Practice daily to feel more confident in general
~When you are feeling anxious and want to give yourself a quick boost
~When you’ve been at your desk for a while and notice your posture slumping, you can do this to boost your energy and give you a quick uplift.
Let me know if you try it or have any other suggestions!
Also, I created a free guide called the Confidence Blueprint. You can find this tip and a couple of others to boost your confidence in any situation! Download it today and start feeling more confident.
Click here to download the Confidence Blueprint.
You deserve the joy and peace you desire! I’m cheering you on!
Much Love,
Stacey