Calm Anxiety with Better Posture
Check in with your posture for a mindful moment.
There’s a lot to feel anxious about in 2020—and I’m certainly experiencing those anxious feelings. Even things that wouldn’t normally give me anxiety are causing me to feel worried and nervous.
While I was making breakfast this morning, I noticed I was having that nervous, anxious feeling and, at the same time, I also noticed that I was standing with my pelvis shifted forward and most of my weight in my toes.
So I shifted my pelvis back and brought my weight into my heels. At once, my nervous system felt soothed. It was like I had dropped a plumb line straight down into the floor and I felt more calm and grounded—definitely less anxious.
Sometimes the smallest changes can yield big results.
Anxiety is future-oriented. When we’re incredibly focused on ‘what ifs’ and what comes next, it’s easy to feel dysregulated. With the constant flooding of bad news that comes with our high information diets, it’s no wonder that our nervous systems flip into fight, flight, or freeze just while we’re making breakfast.
Mindfulness practice calls us to the present moment—to be here now with whatever feeling arises.
By shifting the body more into the ‘now’ (weight over the heels) instead of the ‘future’ (weight in the toes, pelvis forward), we’re tethering ourselves to the present moment in a physical tangible way.
So try it.
future mode…
Stand up and shift your pelvis forward until you feel your weight in the balls of your feet/toes. Notice how that feels. What does it do to the rest of your body? Maybe you already tend to stand this way so you really have to exaggerate the action for it to feel abnormal to you. A mirror can help you determine where you are in space.
present mode…
Now shift your pelvis back until you feel more of your weight in your heels. Notice how that feels. What does it do to the rest of your body? Note: I’m holding my arms like that so you can clearly see my pelvis.
If standing isn’t an option for you, you can also try this with just your head. Make your chin parallel to the ground (so not overly tucked or lifted, again a mirror can help) and then draw your head back while keeping the neck long. (I like to imagine I’m holding a grapefruit under my chin—not a tangerine or a watermelon, a grapefruit).
So if you become aware of an anxious feeling in your body, also become aware of your posture. Can you get your body out of future mode and into present mode? Present mode is when your body is aligned in gravity.
If it feels difficult to keep your weight back in your heels, I recommend incorporating some calf stretch and foot massage into your days. These activities (when approached with mindfulness) can also help you to maintain a feeling of calm and groundedness, which is helpful for down-regulating the nervous system.
Need more help with your posture or movement habit stacking? Schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me!
