How Posture Affects Your Confidence and What You Can Do to Improve It

Your posture is a major component of your overall body language. A tall stance with head held high portrays confidence and authority. Conversely, a hunched position with eyes averted signals fear, doubt, and a lack of self-confidence.

A direct posture can also express openness. It will help let people you are speaking with know that you are listening to them and giving them your full attention.

Posture affects so many aspects of your physical and emotional health, and your confidence levels are just one of them.

If you are lacking in self-confidence, your body language may reflect that with a hunched or stooped posture.

This, in turn, can negatively impact your already wavery confidence and cause you to withdraw further into yourself, both physically and emotionally.

There are countless causes of poor posture today. Sedentary lifestyles are likely a big part of the problem. Take a moment to think about how you sit while you are eating, texting, and working on your laptop, and you'll quickly realize what we mean.

In fact, doctors have even coined the phrase Text Neck to refer to issues resulting from looking down at phone screens for prolonged periods.

Another contributor to a sloppy stance is poor muscle tone, coordination, and flexibility within the core muscles. These support your spine and can help keep your body properly aligned.

Of course, emotions can also affect your posture in what can quickly escalate into the self-perpetuating circle discussed earlier.

To assess your own posture, stand with your back against a wall. Let your head, hips and shoulders make contact with the surface. You should have just enough space in the small of your back to slip your hand between yourself and the wall. This is an example of a correct and healthy posture.

If there is extra space, try pulling your belly button in towards your spine. That will engage your core muscles and support your spine in its natural curvature.

Now, carefully step away from the wall and take several steps. Try to maintain proper form the whole time. Return to the wall after a few minutes and reassess your posture. Were you able to hold it?

Practice this exercise several times per day for best results and to keep up with your progress.

There are several products available that may help improve your posture, too.

Look for specially designed support braces that encourage you to engage core muscles for a low-tech solution.

If you prefer something a little more tech-savvy, a posture trainer that integrates with your smartphone or Apple Watch to alert you to any needed postural changes could be a perfect fit for your lifestyle.

Posture can affect your confidence in positive ways, too. In fact, there is an entire industry catering to power poses and body language to help you build confidence, achieve positions of authority, and become more persuasive.

Even if you don't actually feel confident, try adopting an open stance.

Place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders with your hands on your hips. Tip your chin up just a little bit so that your spine is fully elongated. Practice in front of a mirror if you are nervous about looking silly.

It is very common for people to gain self-confidence as they practice and observe themselves in this stance.

Having good posture as a general rule, not just using power stances, can help you maintain spine health and avoid some common aches and pains.

Before you can improve your posture, however, you first need to understand what causes poor posture and honestly asses your own body language.

Then, use your newfound knowledge to maximize the impact of your physical bearing on your self-confidence.