Walk tall

We get into the habit of thinking our body is just a shell to carry around our 'selves' in. Something to ply with medication when we are sick, so that we can keep going. Something which irritatingly gets tired, or creaky or sore. We have things to do! How dare it falter?

Now, you savvy Simply Stillness readers will have figured out a long time ago that body and mind are two halves of a whole. When one half feels weary, it's usually because the other half is also a touch worn out.

But there's a trick. (There's always a trick!) We can use this interconnectedness to our advantage. We can help our mind feel better by adjusting our body.

Posture.

When we are tired, we slump and hunch. When we are stressed, our shoulders rise and crunch. When we are anxious, we fidget and twitch. When we are sad, our head droops and sags. When we are angry, we tense up and go rigid. In this, our body is reflecting our mood.

Turn it on its head! If you'd like to ease the burden of unproductive emotions, first attend to your body. Whether sitting or standing, take a deep breath. Elongate your spine until it's feeling comfortably stretched. Imagine a puppet string attached to the top-back of your head, lifting your head slightly back and up, helping you feel light. Drop your shoulders down. Give your pelvis a wiggle until it's no longer slumped forwards or pushing backwards but quietly centered. Shift your weight ever so slightly from foot to foot until you know that your weight is evenly distributed. Eyes up and out.

Be proud to be you! Lift your chin just a skeetch. That's it! Let the world know how awesome you are. (And if you're not feeling awesome, just pretend you're an actor. Your favourite actor. Your favourite actor on the red carpet.) Try a smile. Try a bigger smile.

At this point, one of two things will happen: either your mood will have eased along with its tension, because your body has been reminded of how to relax, or, you will have burst into actual laughter because you feel a little ridiculous attempting to emulate your hero. I'd say no matter what: mission accomplished, mood lifted.