Our parents told it to us growing up, yet it’s one of those things that as a kid seems like such a chore… “stand up straight.”
My mom used to tell me to imagine a string stuck in my head that was being pulled directly upward. It always felt weird and cocky to me, like “oh look at me standing up so straight because I think I’m so amazing.” I always wanted to be short anyway, so I was fine with a slightly concave slump. Consequently, the posture debate between me and my mother continued for years to come, usually with her telling me I’d be happy I had good posture later on and with me groaning and rolling my eyes and slumping even more like a true rebel.
Cut to 15 years later, here I am wanting to focus on my posture. I got a massage on my birthday and you know what I told the lady? “My goal with massages is to IMPROVE MY POSTURE.” WTF, am I 45?
Oh well, if it means something to you it means something to you and that’s all that matters. And for right now, having good posture means something to me.
I’ve been doing a bit of research on posture and as it turns out, good posture not only promotes bodily benefits but psychological and emotional ones as well, including lower stress, increased confidence, and more balanced thinking. As physical therapist/psychotherapist Rob Holcroft puts it, “Empowering posture will empower your thoughts and feelings.”
My current program I’m using to work on posture is adjusting when I feel myself slouching, using my laptop in places where it’s more at eye level, stretching, and getting neck/back massages when I can. I’ve gotta say, just by focusing on my posture and knowing I want to improve it, I’ve been able to notice how often I have poor posture and adjust it accordingly.
Do you have good posture or bad posture? If it’s bad, do you have a desire to improve it? What do you think your posture says about you?
Looking forward to your thoughts,
JM
LINKS:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/