Using Your Body Posture to Help Anxiety

By being mindful of the messages your body is sending, you can help alleviate anxiety.

You can use your body posture to help anxiety. The relationship between our body and our mind goes both ways. Your mind will affect your body. And your body will affect your mind. The good news? You can use this to your advantage.

Our minds and our bodies are incredibly connected. As a result, they are constantly sending signals to each other. Think about it, when you are having anxiety, you’ve got the anxious thoughts living in your brain. But, you also have a physiological response to this anxiety as well. You may notice shallow breathing, chest tightens, stomach upset, tense muscles, etc.

This can extend to your body posture as well. Keep reading for tips to address using your body posture to help anxiety.

How body posture affects anxiety

When we feel anxious, we are more likely to tighten our muscles, close off our bodies, and overall tense up. It’s a natural occurrence and it can also cause our brain to reinforce the anxiety we are experiencing. Our brain notices our arms are crossed or we’re sitting in a tiny ball on the floor. Therefore, the brain thinks to itself, “this must be bad. The body is freaking out and feeling unsafe, so I will continue to feel unsafe too.”

When there is anxiety you want to challenge, changing up your body posture can help alleviate your anxiety. It sends a different message to your brain. By encouraging your body to act as though it is calm, your brain will pick up on the messaging and think, “if the body is calm, why am I anxious? Maybe I should calm down too.”

How to help anxiety by using your body posture

Here are several ways to adjust your body posture to help anxiety:

Relax muscles

If your muscles are tense, try relaxing them. Where do you hold your anxiety the most? Your jaw? Hands? Arms? Focus on that one muscle area, take a deep breath, and imagine releasing all the tension from those muscles.

Open your hands

There is a dialectical behavioral therapy skill called half-smile and willing hands which can also be applied to anxiety. To do this, first rest your hands lightly on your lap. Next, open your hands with your palms up. By holding your hands on your lap with your palms up, you are communicating to your brain that you are in a safe place. You are not closed off or tense. 

You can add the half-smile as well if desired. Gently allow yourself to give a small smile (think Mona Lisa painting). Your brain will think, “why is the body open and smiling if we’re supposed to be anxious?”

I love this skill because holding your hands in this position can be done discreetly even if you are around other people.

Lay like a starfish

In the same vein as using open hands, you can open up your entire body. Let’s say you’re at home and struggling with anxiety. Go lay in your bed or on the floor and completely stretch out like a starfish. This is as open as you can make your body. You’ll communicate to your brain that you are not hiding from anything.

Uncross arms and legs

Crossing your arms and legs can communicate to your brain that you are feeling unsafe and would prefer to be closed off. Try uncrossing your arms and legs, loosen those muscles, and sit in a more open, unthreatened position.

Stand/sit with confidence

Feeling anxious for a work meeting or social gathering? Pay attention to slouching. Have your body act as though you are feeling confident. Stand up straight (or sit up straight), uncross your arms and legs, and stop fidgeting your fingers. Send the message to your brain that you are confident.

What message is your body sending your anxiety?

This is the question to ask yourself. When you notice anxiety, check in with your body. How are you sitting? What are your hands doing? Are you closed off? Can you open your body posture up a bit? Can you have your body act as though you were calm?

Switch up your body posture and your brain will notice a difference. 

About the author:

I am a psychotherapist who specializes in working with millennial and Gen Z women on decreasing anxiety in their lives. I help people use various techniques to address anxiety symptoms in the moment. Beyond that, I focus on helping you learn how anxiety exists for you, heal any deeper wounds, and become your own anxiety coach for years to come.

If you are in Illinois or Wisconsin, connect with me to see if we may be a good fit to meet your needs and goals. You can also check out my services page to learn more.