You can change your body language to fight depression and boost energy. Ever notice that after a bout of crying, we stop the tears by raising our heads and breathing deeply through our noses and into our chests? This is just one way we can use our body to control our emotions. Another adjustment to your body can provide you with new energy when you’re feeling tired. We often give in to tiredness, and our productivity can suffer as a result. But there are steps we can take to help get a second wind.
The key to fighting off tiredness is recognizing the signs that accompany this feeling: our muscles will start to relax, our shoulders will slump and our jaws will begin to slacken.
When you get used to paying more attention to your body, you can notice these signs as they emerge and you’ll be in a good position to reverse them. – You can do this by adding more tension to your muscles – pull back your shoulders and open up your chest, and smile. This posture will induce a boost of energy, enlivening your body and mind. Soon enough, you’ll be ready for action.
Your posture can also help fight feelings of depression.
Positive thinking is really important, but many people have also found it useful to fight depression by using their body. When depressed, we often hold our body in a particular way. In the Peanuts comic strip, one of the characters refers to a certain posture – shoulders slumped, head tilted toward the floor – as his “depressed position.” He says that this position is ideal for gloominess, because if he straightened up and looked out at the world, he’d feel better and would no longer be able to enjoy his depression.
There is a lot of truth to this. By simply raising your head and breathing deeply, your chest will open up and you’ll move with more energy. And once you start doing that, it’s only a matter of time before the depression fades away.
Imagine being on the front lines of a fierce military battle and having your commanding officer pull the troops together to lay out a new plan of attack. Now imagine that the general laid out this plan while looking at the ground, mumbling in a barely audible voice, shuffling his feet and gesturing limply. Doesn’t inspire much confidence, does it? The same holds true for your own life. Confidence and personal power come to those who are convinced that their plan is a good one.
Instead of spending your life worrying about what the right choice is, make a choice and follow through on it with complete confidence.
If your plan is full of “maybes” and “mights,” your body will mirror that insecurity. Your posture will be slumped and your gaze unfocused. And you’ll be confused because your brain will be constantly toggling between wanting to do something and not wanting to do it. So develop your power of conviction by aligning your thoughts and your body with confidence. When you give yourself a plan and declare, “I am going to do this,” your body will mirror that focused determination. Next thing you know, you’ll be holding your head high, your eyes will be focused and sharp and everyone will believe and trust in you, including yourself.
You can help develop your powers of conviction by modeling yourself after charismatic leaders.
Charisma is apparent in those who are assured and confident, and you can see it in the way they speak and carry their bodies.
You can practice the technique of modeling with a friend. Get a friend to recall an intense past event, and pay close attention to how their mannerisms change as they remember. Then begin mirroring everything – their posture, their expression, the movements of their eyes and tempo of their breathing. Once you’ve got the process mastered, you can start observing charismatic actors and business or political leaders and begin making their body language your own. Once you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your own personal confidence and power.
The conclusion of the book Unlock the full power of your mind and body from the one and only “Tony Robbins” is:
You are not a victim. What happens in your life is the result of your own attitude toward it and how you treat yourself and your body. If you want to change your life, start changing your attitude. By making simple alterations to how you respond to situations and your emotions, you’ll find you can achieve anything you want.
Some advice to take into account: Breathe deeply to gain energy! If you ever feel that you don’t have the energy to achieve a given goal, deep breathing will help. Effective breathing has also been shown to activate your immune system and can even prevent the growth of cancerous cells.
I have attended one of Tony Robbins event (Unleash the Power Within) Please let me know if you want to learn from my experiences and I will write my next blog about this great event <3
