| Feeling "down in the dumps" or depressed can literally | | | | Never fear, however. You can change it all (and even |
| pull you down physically. Slowly, almost without your | | | | lessen your feelings of depression!) simply by changing |
| even realizing it, your eyes lose their sparkle, your smile | | | | your stance. Try it. Stand up straight, square your |
| disappears, and your shoulders begin to droop, | | | | shoulders, and smile the next time you're feeling down, |
| following your mood right down to dejection. This is a | | | | instead of allowing what's inside your mind to be |
| sign of mental depression. | | | | reflected by how you hold your body on the outside. |
| If you feel depressed a lot, and allow your body to | | | | Good posture also aids in better circulation and better |
| slump in dejection, it can make you feel really bad, | | | | breathing. When you hold yourself upright instead of |
| worse than your feelings of depression alone would if | | | | slumping, you tend to take in more appropriate levels |
| you remained upright. Bad posture truly does have an | | | | of oxygen, your blood flow is good, and those two |
| effect on your overall health. | | | | things alone are enough to make you feel better...which |
| Bad posture can have a debilitating effect on your | | | | has a positive effect on your mind and thoughts as |
| health (meaning it can make you feel bad) because it | | | | well. |
| puts the weight and stress of normal, everyday | | | | When you feel better, you think better thoughts about |
| activities on your muscles instead of your bones/spine | | | | yourself and the world around you. Show the world a |
| where it's supposed to be. This in turn can cause | | | | positive stance and a happy face, and you might be |
| tense muscles (tension). Couple that with the normal, | | | | surprised at how quickly what you're feeling on the |
| regular stress of getting through each day, and you'll | | | | inside changes, too! Research has shown that mental |
| see that by not maintaining good posture even when | | | | depression can be treated with natural methods, and |
| you feel bad, you could be hurting yourself and not | | | | some are just as effective as antidepressants. |
| even know it. | | | | |