Many of us have elaborate morning routines we’ve cultivated over a lifetime but according to a Harvard psychologist you could be waking up all wrong.
Psychologist and author Amy Cuddy has researched how our posture affects our well-being – she even did a TED Talk last year about ‘Power Posing’ and its ability to boost your confidence in situations that might otherwise make you nervous.
Cuddy’s research suggests posture can impact our day from the very moment we wake up in the morning to the minute we fall asleep at night and she has some tips for how to start your day right.
Her advice is so simple: The key to inner well-being and achieving your optimal levels of success all starts with a stretch, apparently.
Cuddy explained:
We have some preliminary evidence that people who sleep in a fetal ball and wake up in that position wake up much more stressed out.
Before you panic about your sleeping position, just don’t panic. Any stress gained through your sleep can be outweighed by a good stretch in the morning, according to Insider. After all, who wants to starfish in this cold weather?
Cuddy’s research might sound like common sense but it’s actually pretty radical in the medical world.
Whereas the perceived wisdom states our body language is a direct result of our emotions, Cuddy believes it’s a two-way street, claiming if you alter your body language you can alter your outlook on life.
Cuddy has found people who stretch in the morning, before they even get out of bed, ‘are super happy, like annoyingly happy’, and yet at least 40 per cent of us sleep in the fetal position; a closed off attitude that could bleed over into our days.
So, add a starfish to your morning routine. It’s for the good of your health and it’ll save you a killing on tissues.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.