Stand Up for Mental Health

I lived in an apartment with two other girls when I was in college. We were all about the same height, we all worked at the same restaurant, were in the same sorority and – apparently – we all slouched.
I say this because one afternoon I was in the apartment by myself and reading a book that detailed the benefits of good posture. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it inspired me to take a walk around the living room with my shoulders back and my head held high.
That’s when I saw it. As plain as day, there was a phone number written in pencil on the wall by the passthrough window into the kitchen. Just a phone number, no name. When my roommates got home, I showed them the number on the wall. Neither of them had seen it. We’d been living there for nearly a year and none of us had seen the number, which means none of us was practicing good posture, at least not while walking through the living room. It’s a shame too because having good posture could have helped in so many ways – better breathing, better digestion, more energy, even better moods. That’s right, improving your posture could improve your mental health.
Of course, standing up straight could never be a stand in for therapy or medication, but it could do the trick if for a minor mood adjustment. Here are some of the ways standing tall can help your mental health.